tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82525024762864974972015-09-17T01:47:54.929-07:00Adventures in VeganismCruelty-free living one day at a time.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-91658765831373304392012-02-28T17:56:00.004-08:002012-02-28T18:13:20.006-08:00Vegan interrupted.(cracked knuckles, big stretch, and here we go)<br /><br />Well, I am very disappointed to say that it has been 222 days since my last blog post.&nbsp; I have been on a carnivorous hiatus and while, yes, it's been fun (I'll fill you in), 222 days later and I find myself feeling bloated, without energy, and just blah!&nbsp; And I am going to blame cheese.... and myself, I guess.&nbsp; <br /><br />Thinking back to one of my first posts as a new vegan (<a href="http://jennybecomesavegan.blogspot.com/2011/02/berry-good-weekend.html"><span style="color: purple;">Berry good weekend</span></a>) about how most non-vegans say they could never give up cheese, I am wanting to bang my head against the wall.&nbsp; As a vegan convert that dove in head first, I made it through the cheese and dairy detox and conquered casein (click the berry good blog link to find out what that is).&nbsp; Giving up meat was easy, it was the cheese and dairy that was hardest for me.&nbsp; However, speaking from firsthand experience, give yourself a dairy break for 2 weeks and you'll beat it.&nbsp; Like most addictive things in life, you can be weaned and I promise you won't miss it.&nbsp; So I bet you're wondering what the heck happened to me and my casein shield.<br /><br />It all started with my birthday and a Mexican restaurant.&nbsp; Sure, sprinkle a little cheese on my enchilada (3 very large margaritas into the night...).&nbsp; And that was it.&nbsp; It was back in my system and just like that I'm hooked.&nbsp; Shortly thereafter I met the man I will be marrying in just 235 days (eek!) and he was excited to show off his amazing cooking skills.&nbsp; I'm not gonna lie, I thoroughly enjoyed it.&nbsp; I will say that he scored major brownie points on our second date when he brought me a veggie sub for our evening picnic on the boat.&nbsp; I vaguely mentioned that I was vegetarian and he remembered.&nbsp; It was all downhill from there.&nbsp; But seriously, I couldn't be happier.&nbsp; I could be healthier though.<br /><br />So going forward I will be giving my best effort to hop off the gravy train and back onto the vegan bandwagon.&nbsp; I know my body will thank me.&nbsp; Hopefully I can find time to get back into doing something I love, posting on my vegan blog that I worked so hard to build and shamelessly forced all my friends at gunpoint to follow.&nbsp; I may be crazy because I <em>AM</em> planning a wedding, but I will do my best to post and share my recipes and progress.&nbsp; Going from a single vegan, cooking meals that only I would have to eat, to being engaged to a sausage-making, meat-loving fisherman, I know there will be times when I will be staring Porky Pig and Nemo in the face, but at the end of the day I make my own decisions on what goes into my body.&nbsp; I'm looking forward to this new chapter in my life and can't wait to share with you all (all 3 of you).<br /><br />Cheers!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QFYYAS6hgb8/T02ErLkmy1I/AAAAAAAAASg/xx30Kpy0or8/s1600/img-thing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QFYYAS6hgb8/T02ErLkmy1I/AAAAAAAAASg/xx30Kpy0or8/s1600/img-thing.jpg" uda="true" /></a></div>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-55399592131751920462011-07-21T09:18:00.000-07:002011-07-21T09:19:26.603-07:00Here's to healthy gallbladders and no mosquitoes!This is how long it's been since I've even looked at my blog... I logged on to type a new entry and I found this one that was already written, just never published! I wrote it back on 4/27/11. So without further ado, here are a couple of radish and fennel recipes that will improve your digestion and ward off mosquitoes!<br /><br />For those of you who don't <strike>get out much</strike> have the luxury to peruse fresh produce stands, you may be stuck with whatever Publix has to offer. If that's your situation, I am so sad for you. Maybe take a Saturday and check out some of the produce stands that are a little out of your way. It's worth it!! <br /><br />Radishes are one of my favorite vegetables. I enjoy them cut up raw on a salad but recently I discovered how great they are when you roast them. The flavor it less sharp and slightly sweeter. Very tasty! If you turn your nose at radishes, here are a few reasons to give them a try. Radishes are an excellent source of vitamin C, calcium, and contain cancer-protective properties! They also increase the flow of bile, therefore they help to maintain a healthy gallbladder and liver, and improve digestion. <br /><br />Now I know you can find radishes in Publix but it's usually without their green stems still attached. If you can find radishes with the greens still attached at the top then definitely buy those! The radishes you find at produce stands will have the greens attached usually. &nbsp; Radish greens are very sandy and gritty.&nbsp; Make sure you wash them in a couple changes of water and spin dry.&nbsp; I wouldn't skip adding the greens to this salad.&nbsp; I think they really add to the look and flavor!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gA8cnaZtes4/TbrpBL-37kI/AAAAAAAAARw/OHth9wu7bRk/s1600/Potato%2Bradish%2Bsalad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gA8cnaZtes4/TbrpBL-37kI/AAAAAAAAARw/OHth9wu7bRk/s400/Potato%2Bradish%2Bsalad.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><i>Roasted Radish &amp; Potato Salad</i><br /><u>Ingredients</u><br />For the vinaigrette, whisk:<br />1/4 cup white wine vinegar<br />3 tbsp olive oil<br />1 tsp Dijon mustard (I used 1 tbsp because I love Dijon!)<br />2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley<br />2 tbsp chopped fresh dill<br />Salt and pepper to taste<br /><br />For the salad, toss:<br />1 lb radishes, trimmed and quartered (reserve radish greens)<br />1 lb new potatoes, quartered<br />2 tbsp olive oil<br />1/2 cup chopped scallions (about 3)<br /><br /><u>Directions</u><br />Preheat oven to 425 F with a large baking sheet inside.&nbsp; For the vinaigrette, whisk together vinegar, 3 tbsp oil, Dijon, parsley, and dill in a bowl until combined; season with salt and pepper and set aside.&nbsp; For the salad, toss radishes, potatoes, 2 tbsp oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl to coat.&nbsp; Transfer mixture to hot baking sheet in oven.&nbsp; Roast mixture until golden, 20-25 minutes, stirring halfway through roasting.&nbsp; Stir radish greens into roasted radishes and potatoes; return to oven for 2 minutes more.&nbsp; Transfer roasted mixture to a large bowl and toss with vinaigrette and scallions until all the ingredients are coated.&nbsp; Season salad with salt and pepper.<br /><br />Fennel is another one of those vegetables that some might be afraid to try. Don't be. Fennel is a very flavorful vegetable with a licoricey flavor. You can eat them raw or cooked. This is another vegetable that is delightfully sweet when roasted. Just chop the stems off and cut up the bulb like you would cut up an onion.&nbsp; I think fennel is a great compliment to salads and just so happens to go perfectly with the carrot puree recipe below.&nbsp; Both recipes come from the book Color Me Vegan.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-slLfknR1pEA/Tbrp8dSYgkI/AAAAAAAAASA/qITUijswNQA/s1600/Fennel.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-slLfknR1pEA/Tbrp8dSYgkI/AAAAAAAAASA/qITUijswNQA/s400/Fennel.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><i>Roasted Fennel</i><br /><u>Ingredients</u><br />4 fennel bulbs<br />2 tbsp olive oil<br />2 tbsp balsamic vinegar<br />Salt and pepper to taste<br /><br /><u>Directions</u><br />Preheat oven to 400 F.&nbsp; Cut off the stems of the fennel, slice the fennel in half lengthwise, place the cut side down, and cut into 1/2 inch slices.&nbsp; Toss on a baking sheet with oil and vinegar (I would whisk them together first and then drizzle over fennel to coat), and sprinkle with salt and pepper.&nbsp; Spread evenly on baking sheet.&nbsp; Roast for 25-30 minutes until tender, turning the slices after about 15 minutes.&nbsp; <br /><br />Fun facts about fennel:&nbsp; Fennel has been found to have potent antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties.&nbsp; It is also an effective repellent against mosquitoes.<br /><br /><i>Carrot Puree</i><br /><u>Ingredients</u><br />1/2 cup vegetable stock<br />5 or 6 large carrots, cut into uniform chunks<br />1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste<br />1/8 tsp ground cloves (I would say more like just a pinch, or 1/16 tsp)<br />1 to 2 tbsp nondairy milk (soy, rice, or almond- whatever you have on hand)<br />1 tbsp light brown sugar or maple syrup<br />1 tbsp nondairy butter (Earth Balance)<br /><br /><u>Directions</u><br />Bring stock to a boil.&nbsp; Add the carrots and salt.&nbsp; Cover and cook until soft, about 20 minutes, adjusting the heat to maintain a slow simmer.&nbsp; Drain the carrots (save the broth) and transfer to a food processor along with the ground cloves.&nbsp; Add the broth and milk (enough to get the consistency you want) and puree until almost smooth.&nbsp; Add the brown sugar and butter and continue pureeing.&nbsp; Add more salt to taste.<br /><br />If you're making this to go with the roasted fennel then just plate the fennel and then place a dollop of the carrot puree over the fennel.&nbsp; The flavor combination on this is very tasty!<br /><br />I hope that you will give these unique recipes a try! It's worth the trip to the produce stand.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-77114481892896813852011-04-30T10:55:00.000-07:002011-04-30T10:55:29.229-07:00Super "Kale" afragalisticexpialadoshusI really wanted to write a blog about kale because before I started on this vegan journey I pretty much hated kale, and for no good reason at all. I thought it was a strictly decorative green that no one really ate. It's most commonly recognized as&nbsp;the tough, little, green, shrubby thing on the corner or your dinner plate that I&nbsp;would usually&nbsp;offer a friend five bucks to eat just for laughs. I now know that kale is a wonderful, delicious green that gets a lot of flack. <br /><br />Before I get into the part of the recipe portion of this blog entry I want to just say a few positive things about kale for all those kale-haters out there. According to many nutritionists, kale can lower your cholesterol and it reduces the risk for some cancers including cancer of the bladder, breast, colon, ovary, and prostate. And finally, kale acts as an antioxidant and and anti-inflammatory. So go get yourself a big bunch of it and start cooking!<br /><br />One of my first <a href="http://jennybecomesavegan.blogspot.com/2011/02/this-past-weekend-was-my-first-weekend.html">blog entries</a> included a recipe for kale chips. Kale chips are a wonderfully nutritious replacement for fried potato chips. When kale is baked and sprinkled with a little sea salt, they become tasty little leaves that I actually prefer over greasy potato chips. They are super light and very crispy. Anytime I'm preparing something in the kitchen my dogs assume their positions in what I call "the drop zone." Chloe backs herself into the corner of the kitchen where I do most of my prep and Millie stands right under the sink where all of my vegetable scraps go. Millie particularly loves kale. As I pull the leafy parts of the kale away from the stem, she gives me the look reminding me that she was once a homeless, starving little street dog that often ate leaves and dirt for meals (it's amazing what you can read from a dog's face, haha). So I give her the kale stems and she is the happiest little girl in the world. Chloe, on the other hand, would never accept a vegetable scrap unless it was covered in cheese or peanut butter.<br /><br />So here is a recipe for kale chips (again). Give it a try. I bet you won't be disappointed. And to go along with this recipe I am including a little video clip of Millie enjoying the finished product so that you can see how really crispy these chips turn out. Turn up your volume and listen for the crunch!<br /><br /><em><a href="http://steamykitchen.com/6926-crispy-kale-recipe.html">Baked crispy kale chips</a></em><br />The biggest secret to getting the kale super-crisp is to dry them in a salad spinner. If there is moisture on the leaves, the kale will steam, not crisp. Also, do not salt the kale until after they have come out of the oven. If you salt beforehand, the salt will just cause the kale to release moisture, thus steaming instead of crisping.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowFullScreen='true' webkitallowfullscreen='true' mozallowfullscreen='true' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzuTiL4t8_2jRghBxO7eLRnxl9_Or2R0NryAwYUz04fsSbIqhMsjQc9w4IQ0zQBBVXn0I586gAekZD5-xj3og' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' FRAMEBORDER='0' /></div><u>Ingredients</u><br />4 giant handfuls of kale, torn into bite-sized pieces and tough stems removed (about 1/3 pound)<br />1-2 tablespoons olive oil<br />sea salt or kosher salt<br /><br /><u>Directions</u><br /><div class="directions">1. Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.<br />2. Place the kale leaves into a salad spinner and spin all of the water out of the kale. Dump the water and repeat one or two times more just to make sure that the kale is extra dizzy and dry. Use a towel to blot any extra water on the leaves. Place the kale on the baking sheet.<br />3. Drizzle olive oil over the kale leaves and use your hands to toss and coat the leaves. Bake in the oven for 12-20 minutes until leaves are crisp. Take a peek at the 12 minute mark - the timing all depends on how much olive oil you use. Just use a spatula or tongs to touch the leaves, if they are paper-thin crackly, the kale is done. If the leaves are still a bit soft, leave them in for another 2 minutes. Do not let the leaves turn brown (they'll be burnt and bitter) Remove from oven, sprinkle with salt and serve.<br /><br />When I made these kale chips I had a lot of left over kale because my produce stand sells kale in ridiculously large (and ridiculously cheap, about $1) bunches.&nbsp; I wasn't going to let it go to waste of course so I searched Google for more kale recipes.&nbsp; I stumbled across this blog called <a href="http://www.365daysofkale.com/">365 Days of Kale</a>.&nbsp; Now, it's not a vegan blog, but it certainly gives you some great uses for kale.&nbsp; One of my favorite things in the world of food is potato pancakes!&nbsp; There's nothing like a little, brown potato pancake with a dollop of good apple sauce on top.&nbsp; So YUM!&nbsp; So this is a recipe for potato pancakes with kale, obviously, and carrot, onion, and herbs. They came out very good! Initially I thought I might not put onion in them next time but I had three other people try them and they all said they would leave them as is. You can really make these your own and get creative with the ingredients. I think next time I will try them with zucchini instead of carrot. </div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ffl2pTOT-JY/TbxGMNGm0II/AAAAAAAAASI/ekG3Mcv03JM/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ffl2pTOT-JY/TbxGMNGm0II/AAAAAAAAASI/ekG3Mcv03JM/s400/015.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><i>Potato Pancakes with Kale</i><br /><br /><u>Ingredients</u><br />6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled<br />2 large carrots, scraped<br />1 medium yellow or white (not sweet) onion, peeled<br />1/4 cup white whole wheat flour<br />1/4 cup parsley, finely minced (or use other green herbs you might have on hand)<br />1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen kale, (remove the large center stems and then chop small)<br />2 large eggs (obviously use a vegan substitute here; I used 1 tbsp ground flax whisked together with 3 tbsp water)<br />1 Tbsp canola or extra-virgin olive oil<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper<br />Applesauce, for garnish (I prefer a good, chunky applesauce)<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BbZj4gjylV8/TbxHFhCMKnI/AAAAAAAAASQ/DeirZJ05eDA/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BbZj4gjylV8/TbxHFhCMKnI/AAAAAAAAASQ/DeirZJ05eDA/s400/019.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><u>Directions</u><br />Preheat oven to 450 F. Spray large non-stick baking sheet with cooking spray or cut parchment paper to fit a baking sheet.<br /><br />Using a food processor or large hand grater, coarsely grate potatoes and carrots and onion. Place grated vegetables in large colander. Set colander into large bowl so it nestles securely. Hand-squeeze vegetables to wring out as much liquid as possible (you can save this liquid for future soup broth). If vegetables still feel wet, pat dry with paper towels. Transfer vegetables to a large mixing bowl. Stir in flour, parsley/herbs, kale, eggs (egg sub), oil, salt and pepper, making sure ingredients are well combined.<br /><br />Spoon small mounds of potato mixture on baking sheet to form 2 1/2 inch pancakes (about 12 per cookie sheet), leaving a 1/2 inch between each. Pat down flat gently if needed. Bake pancakes until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes per side, turning once with spatula. Transfer to plates or platter and serve at once with applesauce. Makes about 24 - 2-½ inch pancakes or 8-12 servings.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Eiju1b7PyOE/TbxJxx5slVI/AAAAAAAAASY/QjfUq54KPKc/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Eiju1b7PyOE/TbxJxx5slVI/AAAAAAAAASY/QjfUq54KPKc/s400/035.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Even after the kale chips and the potato pancakes I STILL had more kale to use. Not much, but I wasn't going to waste it. I wanted to saute it this time. So I decided to make one of these make-it-up-as-you-go-along, use-up-leftover-stuff recipes. Yes, that's a technical term. I had about a single serving of pasta to use, some kale, and about a 1/3 of a package of dried porcini mushrooms. Basically I just reconstituted the mushrooms in some white wine and vegetable broth. Cooked the pasta. Sauteed the kale in a little olive oil, salt, and pepper. I added a little bit of corn starch to the liquid used for the mushrooms to let it thicken slightly to make a light sauce, then I tossed it all together. It was one of the most delicious dinners I've ever made. I just love it when things work out!<br /><br />Well, I guess that's about all I have on kale for right now. I hope I have inspired you to give kale a chance.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-90838440918812764742011-04-27T10:38:00.000-07:002011-04-27T12:49:34.748-07:00Bake yourself silly!It seems like forever ago that I've posted new recipes and now I have a bit of a back-log. So this blog will contain a few recipes for baked goods that I've tried and enjoyed.&nbsp; I'll have to write a separate blog for the non-baked, more savory dishes so you are no inundated with a bunch of random recipes.<br /><br />First up are scones!&nbsp; I love scones.&nbsp; They are like fancy, triangular biscuits.&nbsp; I have tried sweet and savory varieties and I have found that when it comes to scones, I don't discriminate!&nbsp;&nbsp;Last weekend I made&nbsp;<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=BMdjgQUXPu8C&amp;lpg=PA75&amp;ots=RfsAksuy8T&amp;dq=skinny%20bitch%20orange%20scones&amp;pg=PA75#v=onepage&amp;q&amp;f=false">Skinny Bitch Orange Scones</a>, recipe by the skinny bitch herself, Kim Barnouin.&nbsp; The recipe worked perfectly.&nbsp; These have a lovely orange essence and light orange flavor yet they aren't really sweet, which makes it perfect for adding a nice jam on top.&nbsp; YUM!!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p4vj2-CXB54/TbhH1CACkHI/AAAAAAAAARQ/01InXmJYnHQ/s1600/Scones.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p4vj2-CXB54/TbhH1CACkHI/AAAAAAAAARQ/01InXmJYnHQ/s400/Scones.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><u>Ingredients</u><br />2 cups flour<br />1/2 cup sugar (plus 1 tbs for later)<br />1 tbs baking powder<br />1/2 tsp baking soda<br />1 tsp salt<br />1/2 tsp nutmeg<br />1/2 cup orange juice (plus 1 tbs for later)<br />1 tbs orange zest<br />1 tsp orange extract (I used lemon because I didn't have orange)<br />1/2 cup Earth Balance<br /><br /><u>Directions</u><br />Set oven to 350 F.&nbsp; Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together orange juice, orange extract and orange zest. Then add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Add the Earth Balance and mix well. Lightly flour a flat surface. Knead dough for a minute, then form into a small pizza crust shape, lightly flattening it into desired thickness. Cut the dough into 8 wedges and place on a baking sheet. Use your finger or pastry brush to spread the extra orange juice on each scone, then sprinkle with the extra sugar. Bake 15 minutes. Let cool. Serve with your favorite jam.<br /><br />Here's another oh-so-yummy one to try, <a href="http://www.theppk.com/2011/03/raspberry-jam-swirl-crumbcake/">Raspberry Jam Swirl Crumbcake</a>.&nbsp; I found this recipe on <a href="http://www.theppk.com/">Post Punk Kitchen</a>.&nbsp; This recipe turns out so moist a delicious. You could really use whatever flavor jam that you like best, or none at all. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2RGDd5qot3Q/TbhLltsQAtI/AAAAAAAAARY/2dVhM6pAE4E/s1600/rasp%2Bcake%2B1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2RGDd5qot3Q/TbhLltsQAtI/AAAAAAAAARY/2dVhM6pAE4E/s400/rasp%2Bcake%2B1.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><u>Ingredients</u><br />For the cake:<br />3/4 cup soy milk (or any non-dairy milk)<br />1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar<br />1/3 cup sugar<br />1/2 cup canola oil<br />1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract<br />1 1/4 cups all purpose flour<br />2 teaspoons baking powder<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />3/4 cup raspberry jam (My FAVORITE jam is <a href="http://www.polanerallfruit.com/polaner/index.html">Polaner Fancy Fruit with Fiber</a>, with only 6 grams of sugar and 3 grams of fiber per tbs!!)<br /><br />For the topping:<br />1 cup all purpose flour<br />1/3 cup brown sugar<br />1 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg<br />1/4 cup canola oil<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WqDfhweibt4/TbhLyJPYLbI/AAAAAAAAARg/-pvaBrb4K9E/s1600/rasp%2Bcake%2B2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WqDfhweibt4/TbhLyJPYLbI/AAAAAAAAARg/-pvaBrb4K9E/s400/rasp%2Bcake%2B2.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><u>Directions</u><br />Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease an 8×8 round springform pan or regular square pan. Measure out the soy milk for the cake and add the teaspoon of apple cider vinegar; set aside to curdle. Then begin preparing the topping.<br /><br />Make the topping:<br />In a small mixing bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Drizzle in the canola oil by the tablespoonful (you can eyeball it, no reason to whip out a tablespoon.) Use your fingers to swish around the mixture until crumbs form. Alternate swishing and adding canola oil until all oil is used and large crumbs have formed. Some of the topping is still going to be sandy and that’s fine, just so long as you have mostly nice big crumbs. You can add another tablespoon of oil if needed.<br /><br />Make the cake:<br />In a large mixing bowl, mix together curdled milk, sugar, canola oil and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt and mix until smooth. Pour cake batter into prepared pan. Add spoonfuls of jam randomly on top of the batter and use a knife to swirl it in. Evenly sprinkle on the topping and pat it down just a bit. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted through the center comes out clean.<br /><br />And one last baked item for you. This one is from <a href="http://www.colormevegan.com/">Color Me Vegan</a>.&nbsp; I thought the Kiwi Banana Muffins from the Green Chapter sounded interesting.&nbsp; I knew I liked kiwi and banana, but I wasn't sure how I felt about them all smushed together in a muffin.&nbsp; They came out pretty good.&nbsp; I thought the kiwi was slightly sour when paired with the banana so I'm still kind of on the fence about how I really feel about these.&nbsp; I brought them to work though and asked for an honest opinion and I was told they were good.&nbsp; I will say that the baking time on these (for my oven, which may need to be replaced soon) was WAY off!&nbsp; I ended up baking mine for about 3 times longer than this recipe suggests.&nbsp; Just a heads-up on that.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t5kGy_0-Pzk/TbhSW8ANnQI/AAAAAAAAARo/wVnn1GB76q8/s1600/banana%2Bkiwi%2Bmuffins.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-t5kGy_0-Pzk/TbhSW8ANnQI/AAAAAAAAARo/wVnn1GB76q8/s400/banana%2Bkiwi%2Bmuffins.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><u>Ingredients</u><br />2 cups all-purpose flour<br />1 tsp baking powder<br />1/4 tsp baking soda<br />1/2 tsp salt<br />Zest from 1 medium orange<br />3 ripe bananas, peeled<br />8 ripe kiwis, peeled, divided<br />1/2 cup nondairy butter (Earth Balance)<br />1/3 cup granulated sugar<br /><br /><u>Directions</u><br />Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly oil a muffin tin or fill with cupcake liners. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and orange zest. Set aside. In a medium bowl, or in a food processor or blender, mash (or puree) the bananas and 5 of the kiwis until smooth. Add the butter and sugar and stir to combine. Chop the remaining 3 kiwis into bite-sized pieces. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the chopped kiwi, and stir to combine. Spoon the batter into the individual muffin tins and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffins comes out clean. This might take longer if your muffins are on the larger side. Cool for 10 minutes on wire rack. Makes 12 muffins.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-20681204762468723612011-04-17T20:37:00.000-07:002013-01-17T17:25:49.827-08:00Non-food vegan reviews: ArbonneI'd like to start this blog by thanking all of my blog followers and loyal readers. I have loved writing about my vegan experiences and hope it has inspired you to just give it a try, even if only for one day. I often wonder exactly who is out there reading (people besides my few close friends that are here for moral support). Turns out there are others out there that are actually reading this which is so exciting to me! After one of my many Darbster reviews, I received an e-mail from, Nancy, a district manager for Arbonne International. My first reaction was excitement because I was so&nbsp;happy to receive a message from someone I didn't know who was actually reading my blog. And my second reaction was even more excitement because Nancy offered to give me some samples to try out so that I could review them on my blog. How cool is that?!?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mfFo6XD0HIA/Taucpbhoc2I/AAAAAAAAAQo/0qNJAmqo7ZI/s1600/arbonne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mfFo6XD0HIA/Taucpbhoc2I/AAAAAAAAAQo/0qNJAmqo7ZI/s400/arbonne.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>Before I get into the tofu and potatoes of my review, I'll just quickly say a few things about Arbonne. Before Nancy messaged me, I had never heard of <a href="http://www.arbonne.com/">Arbonne</a>.&nbsp; Arbonne offers 100% vegan-certified beauty, health &amp; wellness products that are NEVER tested on animals and they do not contain any animal by-products (which is extremely rare in the world of cosmetics).&nbsp; Using animal-friendly products has always been very important to me, however it's becoming nearly impossible to avoid buying the "mean products."&nbsp; You may see the words "final product not tested on animals," but that doesn't mean that the company doesn't test on animals at all, they just don't test the "final product."&nbsp; So Arbonne makes it easy for us and doesn't test or use animals in any capacity.&nbsp; And that's just the beginning.&nbsp; Their products are made up of premium botanical ingredients that are 100% pure and totally safe for your skin, and the Earth.&nbsp; I think when it comes to shopping for cruelty-free products, the eco-friendly part may be just an afterthought.&nbsp; Not with Arbonne.&nbsp; Check out the <a href="http://www.arbonne.com/company/green/index.asp">Arbonne Green Commitment</a>!<br /><br />I'm going to start out with some skincare products that I tried. Nancy gave me six samples from <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pDSUNRfeVpM/TauhRZ8n4CI/AAAAAAAAAQw/tupzWjvanMU/s1600/fc5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pDSUNRfeVpM/TauhRZ8n4CI/AAAAAAAAAQw/tupzWjvanMU/s400/fc5.jpg" width="294" /></a></div>the Arbonne <a href="http://www.arbonnefc5.com/home/">FC5</a> line. FC stands for the fresh cell technology, and the 5 is for the nutrients that are extracted from 5 different fruits and vegetables.&nbsp; &nbsp; I tried the following face products: Hydrating Cleanser + Refresher, Nurturing Day Lotion with SPF 20, Moisturizing Night Creme, and the Hydrating Eye Creme.&nbsp; All of these products have a lovely, natural, and "fruity" smell.&nbsp; And by fruity I don't mean too sweet or perfumey.&nbsp; They are all very pure smelling.&nbsp; The cleanser has fresh strawberry cell&nbsp;extracts.&nbsp; You can tell based on the thick texture and consistency of these products that they are very concentrated and a little goes a long way.&nbsp; I loved that the Day Lotion, made with fresh kiwi cell extracts, had an SPF 20.&nbsp; I have found it hard to find lotions with sunscreen in them that aren't too greasy or cause added shine throughout the day.&nbsp; This lotion absorbed into my skin very well and was not greasy at all.&nbsp; The Night Creme has fresh mango cell extracts and also absorbed quite well, just somewhat slower.&nbsp; Most night creams tend to be thicker to keep your skin hydrated throughout the night.&nbsp; It went on nicely and wasn't uncomfortable to sleep in at all.&nbsp; (Plus is makes your pillows smell like a very fancy spa-- bonus!) The Eye Creme, also containing kiwi extracts, was equally as nice.&nbsp; Nancy also gave me the following FC5 body products: Invigorating Body Cleanser and Conditioning Body Moisturizer. The cleanser was light a fresh and not drying at all. I felt like it really did do it's job by cleansing my skin and again, the smell was lovely. I really liked the Body Moisture too. It contains fresh pumpkin cell extracts, however it does not smell like pumpkins. It has the same light and fresh smell that all the FC5 products have. I moisturized my legs in the morning and they were still soft and smooth by the end of the day. Overall, I was thrilled with the results of these products.&nbsp; <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c0oymn_CkpY/TaumQSS4NUI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/9DJUONP4CO0/s1600/prodWash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c0oymn_CkpY/TaumQSS4NUI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/9DJUONP4CO0/s320/prodWash.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>At 28 years old, I still have the occasional breakout and blemishes so I was definitely interested in the Arbonne <a href="http://www.arbonne.com/products/beyond_basics/wash.asp">Clear Advantage</a> products. The key ingredients are Salicylic acid (1%), alfalfa, dandelion leaf, licorice root, peppermint, orange peel, mallow flower, wild pansy, hops extract, vitamins A, C and E.&nbsp; I have tried SO many products like this over the years. Some have worked as far as eliminating the blemish, but it usually leaves your skin somewhat dry. Once again, a little goes a long way with the Clarifying Wash. As soon as you squeeze it from the tube you can tell how thick and concentrated it is. It's clear and does not contain any of those harsh, sandpaper-like scrubbers. Since I use a Clarisonic, I don't prefer the little exfoliating scrubber bits. Another thing I liked about this product is that it never left my skin looking red or inflamed. I have very sensitive skin, so a lot of acne-related products tend to make me look a bit red. Not the case with this one.<br /><br />I was lucky enough to be able to try a couple of <a href="http://www.arbonne.com/ArbonneCosmetics/">cosmetic</a> items, too. The makeup primer is the BEST makeup primer I have ever used. I am generally not a fan of makeup primers because it's just yet another thing to smear on your face and it can tend to feel heavy. This is the lightest, most silky primer. It doesn't really have any kind of scent, which I like because it doesn't compete or clash with the scents of the face wash and lotion. It creates the perfect, super-thin barrier between your face and the makeup, not that the makeup would hurt your skin, but it may absorb into your skin throughout the day. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nfgXMlPeWBg/TauquvUcpwI/AAAAAAAAARA/dOgFAREeDxY/s1600/arbonne-lip-polish-posh-chic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nfgXMlPeWBg/TauquvUcpwI/AAAAAAAAARA/dOgFAREeDxY/s400/arbonne-lip-polish-posh-chic.jpg" width="280" /></a></div>I mentioned to Nancy that I am a lip gloss junkie. I always have at least two or three lip glosses with me at any given time. I tried out all the Lip Polish colors and my favorite was the Posh color. It's a light, nude-pink color. I think it looks great with any type of eye makeup because it's so soft and neutral. It's also&nbsp;not sticky or slimy and most importantly, it's not glittery! I cannot stand when cosmetic companies put shimmer and glitter in their lip glosses. Arbonne's gloss, which contains mango butter, aloe,&nbsp;sunflower oil, and vitamins A and E,&nbsp;gives you a subtle shine without looking like a pre-teen on her way to a Miley Cyrus concert. And I loved the fact that it wasn't flavored. I don't know why so many lip glosses are flavored. I'm not eating my lip gloss, are you? And I also don't need flavoring on my mouth at all times. So thank you, Arbonne, for making a great, adult lip gloss. I am definitely going to ordering it in <a href="http://www.arbonne.com/ArbonneCosmetics/">Posh</a>! <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QbxHkO93He4/TauuJYCKqJI/AAAAAAAAARI/ID-i6lSAwpM/s1600/ProteinShakesRTD_us_eng.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QbxHkO93He4/TauuJYCKqJI/AAAAAAAAARI/ID-i6lSAwpM/s400/ProteinShakesRTD_us_eng.jpg" width="250" /></a></div>And finally, I asked to try the Arbonne Protein Shakes from the <a href="http://www.arbonne.com/HealthAndWellness/ArbonneEssentials/Products/index.asp">Arbonne Essentials</a> line of products. Before going vegan, I occasionally would drink a protein shake before a work out. And let me tell you, when it comes to protein shakes, all are NOT created equal. Many of them are just not pleasant tasting at all and some contain milk and whey products making them no good for vegans. I was very surprised and pleased with Arbonne's protein shake. I tasted both the chocolate and vanilla flavors. They didn't have that gross, chalky texture and taste. They were very milkshake-like and just yummy! I love to drink them before my workouts during the week. They are just the ticket to cure my late afternoon sweet tooth and they don't leave me feeling too full or bloated. Another plus, they contain calcium AND folic acid, both of which are very important to women's health. I love these protein shakes!<br /><br />And since I love to share-the-love when possible, I told Claudia that I was in touch with Nancy from Arbonne. Nancy was nice enough to let Claudia take home the Arbonne <a href="http://www.arbonne.com/RE9Advanced/">RE9 Advanced</a> anti-aging system for a few days. Claudia reported back with satisfaction. She loved the citrusy scent and liked that the Day Creme had a non-greasy SPF 20. These products, like the ones that I tried, are also very concentrated so a little bit goes a long way. I know I have said that a lot in this review but I think it's important because you are making an investment in high-quality products so it's nice to know that you are getting more than just a few uses from them.&nbsp; PS- Arbonne doesn't forget about the guys!&nbsp; There are skincare and wellness products for <a href="http://www.arbonne.com/RE9AdvancedMens/">men</a>, too!&nbsp; There are also products for kids and <a href="http://www.arbonne.com/products/baby/wash.asp">babies</a>!<br /><br />I love everything I tried from Arbonne and will definitely be purchasing some products. If you would like additional information on any of these products, or if you would like to know what else is available (like vitamins!), check out the <a href="http://www.arbonne.com/index.asp">Arbonne website</a>&nbsp;and contact Nancy Kumpulainen (561-254-6519 or <a href="mailto:beautywithbenefits@earthlink.net">purehealthyglow@gmail.com</a>).&nbsp; Also check out <a href="http://www.purehealthyglow.com/">www.purehealthyglow.com</a>.<br /><br />Thanks you so much, Nancy, for the awesome opportunity to include these great vegan products in my blog!&nbsp; I will be spreading the word for sure!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-54444023996191670122011-04-13T18:04:00.000-07:002011-04-13T18:57:37.038-07:00A few rawviewsI think everyone pretty much knows by now what the vegan "diet" consists of. I use the air bunnies because I hate the word diet then I talk about veganism, but you get what I mean. In a nutshell it's no meat, dairy, or eggs... it's 100% plant-based. So there's the vegan "diet" and then there's the raw "diet." Raw food is vegan by default, but it's different in that the foods you are eating are uncooked and unprocessed.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J2RIZ7oaMBU/TaO-LBp_BDI/AAAAAAAAAQI/VnWUSQMdcbE/s1600/11036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J2RIZ7oaMBU/TaO-LBp_BDI/AAAAAAAAAQI/VnWUSQMdcbE/s400/11036.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>It was a Friday and we needed to order lunch at the office. Unfortunately, there aren't too many places around us to order a vegan meal that's actually good, so occasionally we drive downtown to The Raw Kitchen or to Darbster. I'll start with The Raw Kitchen. Since it was difficult to decide on one dish, we ordered two and split them so that we would have the opportunity to experience both. On the left is the Nori Wrap made up of fresh coconut meat, marinated sprouted teff and white sesame seeds, julienned market vegetables wrapped in nori roll with sesame ginger sauce. And on the right is the Mac Daddy which is a macadamia nut salad layered with zucchini, avocado, tomato, turmeric, scallions with eggplant pancetta on a bed of spinach with smokey chipotle vegan mayonnaise. Both were good choices however we declared the nori wrap as the winner. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S3sntHOluog/TaZHrzLzmAI/AAAAAAAAAQg/iEBo_NY6MdA/s1600/1037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-S3sntHOluog/TaZHrzLzmAI/AAAAAAAAAQg/iEBo_NY6MdA/s400/1037.JPG" width="299" /></a></div>I love the "sea" taste of the nori and the light, fresh taste of the raw veggies together. (In case you don't know what nori is, it's a type of edible seaweed that is often sold in sheets and used in many varieties of sushi rolls.) The coconut meat also provided a pleasant, subtle sweetness which went great with the sesame ginger sauce. I also enjoyed the crunch of the teff and the sesame seeds. It made for great texture. The Mac Daddy was good, however I probably wouldn't order it again. It was mostly avocado, which I happen to love, but I felt like I needed to eat it with chips. It was more like a big pile of really good guacamole. The macadamia nuts were marinated which made them soft. Oh, I forgot to mention the eggplant pancetta! That was very good. It was salty and smokey and I thought it was a nice compliment to the salad. It wasn't bad, but it just didn't knock my socks off. I would definitely order the nori wrap again though!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FeQJmnDq3gw/TaSfnVc2-SI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/MtJGZUeGvWI/s1600/photo%2B%25283%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FeQJmnDq3gw/TaSfnVc2-SI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/MtJGZUeGvWI/s400/photo%2B%25283%2529.jpg" width="299" /></a></div>My second raw review is from Darbster. My mom, Jack, and I went there for brunch last Sunday. Jack and I were brave and went for a raw selection. My mom had the challah french toast, still vegan of course,&nbsp;but not raw. I'll take what I can get at this point. Anyway, I ordered the Raw Wild Berry Pancakes served with eggplant bacon, portabella sausage, raw agave syrup, and fruit. This was AWESOME!! My favorite raw food meal to date. The pancakes are made from bananas, nuts and other fruits. The dominant flavor is banana. They were very good. The closest thing I can compare the flavor to is banana-nut bread. They were thin, yet moist. The texture is obviously not similar to a fluffy buttermilk pancake, but it's not trying to be. It was served with fresh blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and sliced banana. The raw agave syrup was every bit as good, if not better than what most people consider to be "normal" pancake syrup, i.e. Aunt Jemima's high-fructose-corn-syrup-infused "maple syrup." The agave syrup also paired quite well with the portabella sausage. This didn't have a "sausagey" flavor, but it was still savory and delicious. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_V4cdVIIAvY/TaSrjjr1dpI/AAAAAAAAAQY/2luRwghjCik/s1600/after.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_V4cdVIIAvY/TaSrjjr1dpI/AAAAAAAAAQY/2luRwghjCik/s320/after.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>The eggplant bacon was very similar to the eggplant pancetta that The Raw Kitchen served with their Mac Daddy salad. It was seasoned a little differently but the texture was the same. It was smokey, salty, and yummy! As you can see by my plate, I didn't really enjoy my meal! Haha... I seriously don't know how Chef Seth continues to turn out delicious and healthy meals. I also wanted to comment on how magnificent the orange juice was! Fresh-squeezed, I'm sure. The color was as glorious as the taste! Another A++++++ for Darbster!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-46033034009998964302011-04-11T19:28:00.000-07:002011-04-11T19:28:45.717-07:00Leggo my eggo...plant!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NlToW_6YwMQ/TaDmTQ39EoI/AAAAAAAAAP4/_9ipGCwQSIo/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NlToW_6YwMQ/TaDmTQ39EoI/AAAAAAAAAP4/_9ipGCwQSIo/s400/001.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Every time I go to the produce stand I see all these different types of eggplant (please disregard the rutabagas that creeped into the picture). I have been wanting to try a recipe for baba ganoush. If you don't know what baba ganoush is, then be prepared to be enlightened. Baba ganoush is an Arab dish that is essentially mashed up eggplant dip. Translation: a glorious, creamy, smokey dip that is as fun to eat as it is to say- BABA GANOUSH!! :) It is easy to make and it's a good reason to eat veggies since it's a dip. According to BrightHub.com, another reason to nosh on this purple gift from nature is because it's a very good source of antioxidants and dietary fiber. Because of its low soluble carbohydrate content and high fiber, it is the best diet choice for diabetics. One full serving of eggplant is very low in calories. A cup full of sliced one-inch cubes contains only 33 calories. Eggplant is also rich in minerals such as copper, potassium and manganese and is a very good source of Vitamins B1 and B6. So what are you waiting for? <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tw3J8hap41I/TaDeQc-eE5I/AAAAAAAAAPg/v1JedHSptK4/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tw3J8hap41I/TaDeQc-eE5I/AAAAAAAAAPg/v1JedHSptK4/s400/018.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Here is a recipe for baba ganoush.<br /><br />Ingredients:<br />1 large eggplant (or two small/medium eggplants) <br />1/4 cup tahini <br />1/4 cup lemon juice <br />2 cloves garlic (fine chop) <br />1 pinch cumin (ground) <br />1 tablespoon flaxseed oil (optional)<br />1-1/2 teaspoons Italian parsley <br />1 teaspoons cilantro <br />salt and pepper, to taste <br /><br />Directions:<br />Cut the eggplant in half lengthwise and broil in the oven for 8-10 minutes (or until the skin is all charred). Then flip it over, flesh-side up, and broil another 6-8 minutes. Take out and let cool. Remove the stem and charred skin. It's okay not to get every single piece of skin. I think it adds to the smokey flavor of the dip a little bit. So then you just add the eggplant to a food processor along with all the other ingredients and pulse until smooth. Baba ganoush is generally served cold but I can't help myself and I usually snag a few bites while it's still hot. This is great served with pita chips and fresh veggies. Enjoy!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3Lax88kTuQ/TaDlEJ8qnuI/AAAAAAAAAPo/oT_LX8ufbj0/s1600/1026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-m3Lax88kTuQ/TaDlEJ8qnuI/AAAAAAAAAPo/oT_LX8ufbj0/s200/1026.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>In other news... one of the blogs I follow, <a href="http://www.dietdessertndogs.com/">Diet, Dessert and Dogs</a>, posted a recipe for "happy brownies" that contain hemp seed, hence the name. They sounded yummy and I thought it would be a good opportunity to use hemp seed. According to <a href="http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2009/03/hemp-seed-nutritional-value-and-thoughts.html">The Nourishing Gourmet</a>, hemp is a high protein seed containing all nine of the essential amino acids (like flax) and is supposed to be very digestible. It also has high amounts of fatty acids and fiber and vitamin E. And, get this, unlike soy which has super high amounts of phytic acid (that anti-nutrient that prevents us from absorbing minerals), hemp seed doesn’t contain phytic acid. At the very least, this makes hemp seed a step up from soy. So anyway, I wanted to make the brownies so I went to Whole Foods for just a few ingredients that I didn't have. I realized very quickly that I was going to need to get a second job if I wanted to make these "happy brownies." The coconut sugar was $12 a bag. The vanilla stevia was $9, and the hemp seed was $17/lb (even though I only needed about 1/8 lb. So I nixed the brownies and just decided to get my hemp fix from hemp milk ice cream! I do it for you, my loyal blog followers! Haha, any excuse to eat ice cream. I got the coffee biscotti flavor and ate it with a vegan chocolate chip cookie from the bakery at Whole Foods (those are just too good to be true) and it was very tasty and much less stressful than baking a $100 batch of not-so-happy brownies. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xoi6rrvqVA0/TaDlsT-scBI/AAAAAAAAAPw/ejabrM8B1Mk/s400/1027.JPG" width="299" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Oh, and one more thing before I go... I went out to dinner with my Mom last week. She was in the mood for Mexican food. I knew I was going to make my selection from the vegetarian menu. I was brave and ordered a burrito (minus cheese and sour cream) that had sauteed cactus inside. I was thrilled with my decision because it had a very unique, tangy and sour flavor that was unexpected and quite delicious! So next time you're in a Mexican restaurant, go for the cactus!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-65683983933410605132011-03-29T16:10:00.000-07:002011-03-29T16:10:22.246-07:00Darbster's does it again!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-75ja_xIYsDA/TZJVzybCsMI/AAAAAAAAAOc/OjACcYkIpxw/s1600/047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-75ja_xIYsDA/TZJVzybCsMI/AAAAAAAAAOc/OjACcYkIpxw/s400/047.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />I have to open with this picture because just when I thought I <em>loved</em> Darbster, I had this and now I'm officially <em><u>obsessed</u></em>!!! Chef Seth, you've really outdone yourself this time. I hope you <strong><u><span style="color: #38761d;">add this to your menu</span></u></strong> (I'm begging!) because I am having withdrawals already and it's only been a week! (Also- I apologize for the picture... there is a piece of sushi missing because I ate it... sorry, I just couldn't help myself.) Ok, let me just calm down and explain. This AMAZING dish was a special last week. It's Spicy "Tuna" Black Rice Sushi with Wakame Salad. It was made with roasted organic beets as the "tuna," sriracha mayo, and tempura avocado in a nori wrap. Now, all you non-vegans out there, please don't be turned off by the beets. I actually have grown to love beets so I had no problem with it, however, if you think you don't like beets then I'd be willing to bet a LOT of money that this dish would change your mind. I don't even know where to start. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_iqvhYs-6zg/TZJakmJkCiI/AAAAAAAAAOs/vhpownD8PAo/s1600/037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_iqvhYs-6zg/TZJakmJkCiI/AAAAAAAAAOs/vhpownD8PAo/s320/037.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>It was spicy, SO flavorful, and the tempura avocado was this delicious, creamy little bonus in the middle. Then with the soy sauce and spicy sriracha mayo on the side... oh, just stop it!!! It's insanely good. I've been dreaming about it ever since that night. The sushi was the star of the night but I also have to mention the soup AND dessert I had. Equally as great, I started with the Smokey Organic Split Pea Soup. The flavor and texture was right on! It was smooth and creamy and full of great flavor. It was a breezy night on that deck so it warmed me up perfectly. Split pea soup is one of my all-time favorite soups and needless to say, Darbster, once again, did not disappoint!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xJ-JOEb9i50/TZJbJhK5YqI/AAAAAAAAAO0/vJ79CfeaokM/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xJ-JOEb9i50/TZJbJhK5YqI/AAAAAAAAAO0/vJ79CfeaokM/s320/035.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>In addition to the food, one of the things that I just love about eating at Darbster is the casual, peaceful atmosphere. It's outside, beautifully landscaped all around and there are always fresh flowers on the tables which I LOVE! To me, there's nothing more tacky than silk flowers (that are dusty more times than not) on a table where you will be eating the most amazing food. So I'll get right to the dessert now. I really hate that I tend to overuse OMG, but I'm sorry... OMG! Oreo &amp; Creme Cheezcake (gluten free). You had me at Oreo. Yes, we'll take one with two spoons please! Seriously... if you're wondering if vegan cheezcake is <i>really</i> that good, stop wondering and go get yourself a piece! Hurry! YUMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! You can just see the texture and yummy layers of flavor in this cheezcake. It was the perfect balance of cream-cheezy and chocolaty flavors. Wonderfully rich.... it was really hard to share this one! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7WNIHz3dq4k/TZJdirmBNfI/AAAAAAAAAO8/ka8HQiv_7NI/s1600/049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7WNIHz3dq4k/TZJdirmBNfI/AAAAAAAAAO8/ka8HQiv_7NI/s400/049.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nH5cY_E3VN8/TZJgWCmCqJI/AAAAAAAAAPE/WIPbSjzu6tM/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nH5cY_E3VN8/TZJgWCmCqJI/AAAAAAAAAPE/WIPbSjzu6tM/s400/028.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Last week I also went to <i>The Raw Kitchen </i>in downtown West Palm Beach for lunch with Claudia and Tracy. I had a Groupon so that really helped because it's a tad on the pricey side. It's pretty new and small, yet welcoming inside. I ordered the Pasta Primavera which was fresh zucchini spiral spaghetti, marinated in olive oil and a hint of garlic then topped with a variety of seasoned organic vegetables and basil chiffonade. They brought it out and it looked so colorful and delicious, however it needed a sauce I thought. Once I got past the vegetables on top I was just left with the raw zucchini that was cut in the shape <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DX9KM7iHuxw/TZJiLIWdccI/AAAAAAAAAPM/x6WcYv0T100/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DX9KM7iHuxw/TZJiLIWdccI/AAAAAAAAAPM/x6WcYv0T100/s400/031.JPG" width="299" /></a></div>of thin noodles. I love the idea of the zucchini noodles though. Claudia ordered the Pad Thai. It was thin, flat zucchini noodles with julienned vegetables, savory-sweet almond sauce with a touch of serrano pepper. The sauce on this was was really good! I ended up ordering a side of it to put over my noodles. And you ought to know by now, I almost always order dessert. This time we ordered the Chocolate Coconut Parfait, a delectable chocolate mousse, fresh coconut, goji berries and vanilla cream. Now THIS was great!! The mousse was so rich! The three of us split this, well actually Claudia just had one bite and then Tracy and I polished it off. I'm just thankful that it's all the way downtown and not so easy to "swing by" and pick up some mousse! For my first raw dining experience I thought it went well. I'm definitely not opposed to raw meals, but I doubt I could eat raw all the time. Sometimes I want a little tempura avocado with my sushi!! :)Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-5307211690507123382011-03-23T19:26:00.000-07:002011-03-24T05:13:11.078-07:00Hummus shmummus<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ftDRZKBV9yo/TYqU-nhb_WI/AAAAAAAAANo/YmZgr9W2Uq0/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ftDRZKBV9yo/TYqU-nhb_WI/AAAAAAAAANo/YmZgr9W2Uq0/s400/002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>It's only Thursday and already I have so much to share! Getting right to it, I gathered my shopping list to make 3 little recipes for the week, spicy black bean "hummus" (I will explain the air bunnies* in a minute), bok choy and Chinese mushrooms over soba noodles, and Asian edamame salad. All are pretty basic recipes so I made my veggie list and hit the produce stand. This week I treated myself and went to Rorabeck's on Military. It's pretty much out of the way for me but I just happened to be in the area. I much prefer it to the one near my house! I know this sounds nerdy, but I just love being there and looking at all the great colors and fresh vegetables. You find yourself picking up peppers that you don't even need for a recipe. And their apples are just gorgeous and huge! There's just something about a huge mound of lemons that makes me happy and reminds me of summer.<br /><br />*Refer to the <em>Kiss me, I'm vegan</em> blog to find out about air bunnies. <a href="http://jennybecomesavegan.blogspot.com/2011/03/happy-saint-patricks-day-i-wanted-to-do.html">http://jennybecomesavegan.blogspot.com/2011/03/happy-saint-patricks-day-i-wanted-to-do.html</a><a href="http://jennybecomesavegan.blogspot.com/2011/03/happy-saint-patricks-day-i-wanted-to-do.html"></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WqzZXy1Ub3E/TYqew_izmuI/AAAAAAAAAN4/uu2X1eht6kc/s1600/veggies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="151" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WqzZXy1Ub3E/TYqew_izmuI/AAAAAAAAAN4/uu2X1eht6kc/s400/veggies.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I walked in and filled my bag with all the veggies I needed for the week, and some fruit. I bought 5 baby bok choy, a bunch of green onions, garlic, a shallot, some lemons, 3 plums (not pictured), a hunk of ginger, and a huge jalapeno. My total came to $4.47! I get home and get everything unloaded when I realize that I forgot to buy an avocado. Bummer! So I wasn't about to go back to the produce stand for just one avocado when there is a Publix within walking distance. I go to Publix, pick out my avocado and go to the checkout. I almost fell over when I saw the total on the screen. $3.69 for ONE measly avocado!!! Are you kidding me?? I almost didn't buy it because I was so outraged... but I really needed it. How irritating though!!<br /><br />The first thing I made was the black bean "hummus." The reason it's called "hummus" is because the word hummus means mashed chickpea. So technically this recipe isn't hummus because it's made out of black beans, but who cares, right? Hummus-shmummus! I was very impressed with how this turned out. It is definitely my favorite hummus so far!! This is a MUST try!&nbsp; It's hearty and spicy, just an all-around satisying dip. &nbsp;Ok, I'm a nerd and arranged mine on a plate with the perfect amount of hummus on a corn tortilla chip&nbsp;and a piece of avocado to top it off. I then squeezed some lime over all of it and hit with with some salt. The flavor combo was great!! I think these would be super-simple little finger-foods for entertaining.&nbsp; And no, you can't taste the olives, all you olive-haters!&nbsp; It just adds some saltiness.&nbsp; I used pitted kalamata olives.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BKVyXfWpIhU/TYqTM5fmYzI/AAAAAAAAANg/0YpX1GMWERg/s1600/025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BKVyXfWpIhU/TYqTM5fmYzI/AAAAAAAAANg/0YpX1GMWERg/s400/025.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><i>Spicy Black Bean and Olive "Hummus"</i><br /><u>Ingredients</u><br />1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed<br />10 black olives, pitted<br />1 small jalapeno pepper, finely chopped<br />1 or 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and left whole<br />2 tablespoons lemon juice<br />1 1/2 tablespoons sesame tahini<br />1/2 teaspoon ground cumin<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper<br />Paprika or chili power for garnish<br /><br /><u>Directions</u><br />Add the beans, olives, pepper, garlic, lemon juice, tahini, cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper to a food processor or blender. Process or blend until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary. Garnish with paprika and serve. Yield: 1 1/4 cups<br /><br />The second recipe I made was Asian edamame salad. This was so simple. It can be enjoyed as a side dish or served over a nice, leafy salad. The tangy, Asian dressing is full of great flavor. It contains toasted sesame oil, one of my favorite flavors! This is too good and too simple not to make from time to time. It's a perfect snack to keep in the fridge.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QBTGgU-lGZw/TYqjUL5sinI/AAAAAAAAAOA/Zi_jSfu7yVk/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QBTGgU-lGZw/TYqjUL5sinI/AAAAAAAAAOA/Zi_jSfu7yVk/s400/012.JPG" width="299" /></a></div><i>Asian-Inspired Edamame Salad</i><br /><u>Ingredients</u><br />8 cups water<br />1 tablespoon salt<br />16 ounces frozen, shelled edamame<br />1/4 cup seasoned or plain rice vinegar<br />1 tablespoons toasted sesame oil<br />1 tablespoon tamari soy sauce<br />1 tablespoon agave nectar<br />1 teaspoon lemon juice<br />1 teaspoon salt<br />1/2 teaspoon pepper<br />2 carrots, shredded<br />2 tablespoons sesame seeds (raw or toasted)<br /><br /><u>Directions</u><br />Place the water and salt in a soup pot, and bring to a boil. Add the edamame, and cook for five minutes. Rinse immediately with cold water, drain well, and set aside. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, oil, tamari, agave, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the drained edamame to the bowl, along with the carrots and sesame seeds. Toss well to combine. Chill at least two hours or overnight. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Yield: 3 cups<br /><br />If you can't find frozen edamame for this recipe, which is what happened to me, you can use the pre-cooked edemame that is vacuum-packed and just skip all the prep for the beans. Just make the dressing and toss together with the carrots and sesame seeds! By the way, I'm still mad that Publix didn't have frozen edemame! They had <i>at least </i>5 or 6 different brands of lima beans but not one kind of edamame. Very annoying!!&nbsp; Both the hummus and the edamame salad recipes came from Color Me Vegan.<br /><br />I found this next recipe on VegWeb.com. I made my own adjustments and it was a winner for sure!!! This is the closest to that real, yummy Chinese take-out that you can get, only it's a <u>billion</u> times better because you know what went into it. Soba noodles go great with this but you can also serve it over rice or any other grain.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A_GXtrmq2dU/TYqpdMPQOsI/AAAAAAAAAOI/OFGBHXWX250/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A_GXtrmq2dU/TYqpdMPQOsI/AAAAAAAAAOI/OFGBHXWX250/s400/015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i>Bok Choy &amp; Chinese Mushrooms</i><br /><u>Ingredients</u><br />1 1/2 cups vegetarian flavored broth (I used this to reconstitute my mushrooms first, then re-used it to saute the onions and garlic)<br />2 green onions, sliced thin, divided<br />1 largish clove fresh garlic, minced or pressed<br />1" piece fresh ginger, minced or pressed<br />8 - 12 oz mushrooms, cut to 1/2" pieces (I used 8 oz fresh shiitakes plus 1/3 oz dried procini mushrooms which I reconstituted in vegetable broth to yield about 4 oz of mushrooms)<br />5 baby bok choy, quartered (use stems and green parts)<br />2 tablespoons cornstarch + 1/4 cup cool water<br />Salt and pepper to season<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQ1CdrviFkg/TYqpyONk7VI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/r_ajGLBTmVE/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-zQ1CdrviFkg/TYqpyONk7VI/AAAAAAAAAOQ/r_ajGLBTmVE/s320/016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><u>Directions</u><br />1. Pour broth into skillet. Add 1/2 green onion, the garlic and the ginger. Saute for a few minutes, then add the mushrooms.<br />2. Add the bok choy, reduce to low heat and cover. Steam bok choy for 5 or 6 minutes.<br />3. Thicken the broth with corn starch mixture. Make it slightly thicker than you want the sauce to be, since the moisture from the boy choy will thin it a bit.<br />4. Serve over soba noodles or rice.<br /><br /><br />That's pretty much it as far as recipes I tried for the first time. I am going to need another blog entry to share my next restaurant reviews!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-57420143816801921802011-03-19T17:23:00.000-07:002011-03-19T17:23:06.472-07:00What up, yo.... gurt?Before I went vegan, one of my go-to breakfasts during the work week was yogurt with some Kashi Go Lean cereal on top. It seemed to keep me full until lunch. So when I went vegan I was experimenting with different types of non-dairy milks with cereal. My two favorites turned out to be rice milk (original flavor) and almond milk (vanilla). I love the lightness, and for lack of better words, wateriness, of the rice milk. I thought it had a nice, neutral flavor and went well with cereals. The almond milk was slightly sweeter and thicker. The thickness still kind of creeps me out. It feels like I'm drinking coffee creamer or something. After trying out the different milks I moved on to yogurt. The best thing about yogurt is that it's grab-and-go and already in a container, which makes it perfect to have before or at work. I went to Whole Foods and found the yogurt section. It is literally a wall of yogurt. So many different brands and flavors, how would I ever decide?? I picked five. One made from rice, one from almond, one from coconut, and two from soy; all strawberry flavor.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MJ_AxkA9JKM/TYU51jQ03cI/AAAAAAAAANI/K_6CB9ArIUE/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MJ_AxkA9JKM/TYU51jQ03cI/AAAAAAAAANI/K_6CB9ArIUE/s400/002.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />I put all five to the test to find the best brand out there that, in my opinion, was the closest to the yogurt I was used to eating made from cow's milk. All 5 were graded on taste, appearance, texture, nutritional value, and price on a scale from 1 to 5; 1 being poor and 5 being excellent. The brands tested were Wildwood Probiotic Soyogurt, Silk Live! Soy Yogurt, SO Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk Yogurt, Ricera Rice Yogurt, and Amande Cultured Almond Milk Yogurt. After sampling all of them over a week's time, the results are in! I'll go from worst to best.<br /><br />#5 - Ricera Rice Yogurt -- I have no choice but to start off with YUCK! It scored the lowest in the appearance category. I bought strawberry flavor and it was the grossest shade of pinkish-brown. So NOT appetizing. It makes it hard to enjoy when you can't even stand looking at it. It totally tasted <em>ricey</em>; like someone put rice into a blender. The texture scored in the middle, not good, not bad, as was the price. The plus sides here are that it's low in fat (1 gram) and you get 20% of your daily value of calcium. It's overall score was a 2.4 out of 5. <br /><br />#4 - Wildwood Probiotic Soyogurt -- The packaging on this one boasts high fiber, which is true. It had the most amount of fiber, 5 grams. However, this was NOT GOOD! It scored the lowest in the taste category and highest in the price category ($0.99). It's texture and appearance were actually very good, but I was unpleasantly surprised when I tasted it! It had a very sour, pungent flavor. I could barely tell it was strawberry. One other plus (which does not mean I'm recommending it) is you get the most protein, 7 grams! Just eat some extra beans or tofu, trust me on this one!<br /><br />#3 - SO Delicious Cultured Coconut Milk Yogurt -- I was actually really sad that this one only came in 3rd place. I really liked it. It scored very high in taste and highest in appearance and texture. You are also getting 25% of your daily value for calcium with this along with 30% DV of vitamin B12. It's relatively low calorie, 140 calories. Yes, that seems high for a yogurt, which is why I said relatively. I have found that most vegan yogurts average about 150 calories per cup. So this was somewhat on the low side. BUT this big downfalls here are 6 grams of fat and only 1 measly gram of protein. Not exactly worth your time for breakfast. Major bummer.<br /><br />#2 - Amande Cultured Almond Milk Yogurt -- This one was pretty average. It has decent nutritional value, but has slightly less sugar and slightly more protein and fiber than the coconut one had. In fact, I think it's safe to declare #2 &amp; #3 a tie. I preferred the taste of the coconut one, but this one was slightly more nutritional. Not much to really say about it. It tastes a lot like almond milk.<br /><br />And the winner is......<br /><br />#1 - Silk Live! Soy Yogurt -- Scoring the highest in the taste category, the Silk brand had the most genuine yogurt taste, and let's be real, taste really is the most important criteria (second to nutritional value of course). With this one you're getting only 2 grams of fat and 4 grams of protein. Also, 30% DV of calcium and 50% DV of vitamin C ain't bad! The price was a little on the low side at $1.09.<br /><br />So there you have it, folks. I know you will all sleep much better tonight knowing I have taken the guesswork out of shopping for yogurt.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--1BnQxj1fLg/TYVDpucFGHI/AAAAAAAAANQ/ypCVIdROYPQ/s1600/096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--1BnQxj1fLg/TYVDpucFGHI/AAAAAAAAANQ/ypCVIdROYPQ/s400/096.JPG" width="299" /></a></div>And just a little bonus restaurant review for you now... I went to Mellow Mushroom in Delray today. The place was very cool. Great atmosphere. It has a big menu that is sure to please everyone. They even had some vegan options which is always nice to see. They had Diaya cheese as an option for pizzas (or an anything else that you would want cheese on or in). I was very excited because when I had the grilled cheese at Darbster, it was made with the "cheddar" Daiya cheese and it was great! Since we were ordering a pizza, they used the shredded Daiya in "mozzarella" flavor. We ordered a mushroom, onion, and sun dried tomato pizza with vegan cheese. It came out and looked awesome! The service was great as well. So I grab my slice and take a bite. My first reaction was <em>"well this is different."</em> The texture of the melted Daiya cheese was kind of gooey and it stuck to my teeth a little bit. The flavor was just okay, I thought. I couldn't tell if it was the powerful flavor of the sun dried tomatoes or the cheese, but something was a bit off. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. I think next time we order a pizza we'll just skip the cheese all together and pile on more veggies. Super cool place though. I'll give&nbsp;Mellow Mushroom&nbsp;another try.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NJCEVTwcBo8/TYVF2hjWyEI/AAAAAAAAANY/tlqa0IlknRw/s1600/097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NJCEVTwcBo8/TYVF2hjWyEI/AAAAAAAAANY/tlqa0IlknRw/s400/097.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-68299243539422144562011-03-15T15:56:00.000-07:002011-03-17T18:15:25.103-07:00Kiss me, I'm vegan!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-joQXsP4crS4/TYI-sz9zlKI/AAAAAAAAALg/P3Wq5qpGD9g/s1600/170386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="125" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-joQXsP4crS4/TYI-sz9zlKI/AAAAAAAAALg/P3Wq5qpGD9g/s400/170386.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Happy Saint Patrick's Day!! I wanted to do an Irish-themed blog for St. Paddy's day so I figured I'd make a drink. After all, it is what the Irish do best. However this is a drink that you will feel much better about the morning after you shake your shamrocks! GREEN SMOOTHIES!! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4GsDeUhZYQ/TX_tceYLLSI/AAAAAAAAALY/nJ-CDYBvBHo/s1600/22.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4GsDeUhZYQ/TX_tceYLLSI/AAAAAAAAALY/nJ-CDYBvBHo/s400/22.JPG" width="299" /></a></div>This was my first green smoothie, and I can promise you that it won't be my last! I spent some time searching online for green smoothie recipes and there are literally hundreds of different recipes. Since I am the queen of indecision, I figured I'd just make my own. And not to toot my own horn ((TOOT TOOT!!)) but I did good. Here's my special concoction.<br /><br /><i>Jenny's Green Gulp</i><br /><u>Ingredients</u><br />1 green apple<br />2 kiwi<br />1 frozen banana<br />1 mango, diced and frozen<br />1 small cucumber, peeled<br />1/2 bag of spinach leaves<br />1/2 to 1 cup of water, depending on desired thickness<br /><br /><u>Directions</u><br />Put it in the blender and blend away!<br /><br />In my searching online for smoothie ideas, I read that fruit and veggie smoothies are a great way for your body to absorb a lot more nutrients! When you just eat vegetables in their whole form, your body is only able to absorb so much. When you throw it all in the blender, everything gets pulverized and many more cells of the vegetable are opened up so when you drink it your body absorbs much more. Plus, it's an EASY and delicious way of getting half a bag of spinach in you, plus all the other stuff you put in it. It's also totally fat free! The only other ingredient besides fruits and veggies is water. <br /><br />This occasion calls for a good 'ol Irish toast. <br /><i>May the winds of fortune sail you,<br />May you sail a gentle sea.<br />May it always be the other guy<br />who says, "this drink's on me."</i><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C8MZN1PAegA/TYKgMvTO6XI/AAAAAAAAALw/ZkYypjXuB0M/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="147" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C8MZN1PAegA/TYKgMvTO6XI/AAAAAAAAALw/ZkYypjXuB0M/s200/007.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Now, second order of business tonight... another visit to Darbster (well, technically I went last night). You all know by now I have a mild addiction to this place. Ok, let's be honest... it's more than mild. Anyway, I'm always SO excited to go there with people that turn their noses when they hear the words "vegan food." I think it was a success! We had a party of eight this time. It was a rare occasion for several of the court reporters to get together, so aside from the food being nothing less than amazing, the company was nice too. To start out, I had a cup of the Organic Cheddar IPA Chowder. IPA stands of Indiana Pale Ale. It was very, very good. One of my all time favorite foods (and most definitely my favorite soup) before I went vegan was beer-cheese soup. And I have missed it dearly... until last night! This was great. It was more like a chowder with chunks of potato and it had a perfectly spicy flavor in the background. For my main course, I had the Falafel Salad with Tahini Dressing. The falafels were perfect! So fresh! The greens were perfectly dressed with the most flavorful lemony tahini dressing. I couldn't finish it all (partly because I saw that there was Nutella Cheezecake as a dessert special). Brenda and Tracy both had a bite and said it was very good! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0GtijWtIaeg/TYKnwKKnEsI/AAAAAAAAAMY/cOQ_bShAjFo/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0GtijWtIaeg/TYKnwKKnEsI/AAAAAAAAAMY/cOQ_bShAjFo/s400/008.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>This was Tracy's second time at Darbster. Both times she was amazed that the food she was eating was vegan! Last night she ordered chicken and steak soft tacos and raved about them. (I think we have a convert!!) She likes to tease me about my "rabbit food" diet, but I think she's a closet fake-meat lover! Ha! Last night was Brenda's fist time and I think she enjoyed what she ordered, too. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vslgluv48ts/TYKn4qkWRxI/AAAAAAAAAMg/mSn2tMyGDC0/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Vslgluv48ts/TYKn4qkWRxI/AAAAAAAAAMg/mSn2tMyGDC0/s400/010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>She had the cheddar-ale soup with the palm cakes. And really, what's not to love about Darbster's palm cakes? They are little, fried pieces of heaven. Just perfection! Crispy on the outside, delicious and creamy on the inside. Claudia, a fellow Darbster-fan and vegan, ordered the Chile Relleno. I didn't taste this, but it looked awesome! Chile relleno is a chile usually stuffed with tons of cheese, meat, and some veggies. Darbster's version is stuffed with lots of veggies and topped with a "cheese" sauce. Claudia was still talking about how good it was the next day! <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r0fVd-sYt10/TYKos5rwbQI/AAAAAAAAAMo/yU5sf9swbi4/s1600/0111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="296" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-r0fVd-sYt10/TYKos5rwbQI/AAAAAAAAAMo/yU5sf9swbi4/s400/0111.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>I will surely be ordering this next time I go for dinner! The problem with Darbster is their menu is full of great choices. Everything sounds so good it's hard to narrow it down to just one thing. Then to make matters worse, their specials are consistently innovative, interesting, mouth-watering, and fresh. I mean, if you're going to have problems, these are the kind of problems you want to have!! Darbster's chef extraordinaire, Seth, came out to our table and described his creations. His explanations were full of "air bunnies." (That's a Modern Family reference, and I'll say it again- is you haven't seen that show, stop what you're doing right now, well maybe finish reading my blog first, but the stop what you're doing and do whatever it is you need to do to get your hands on season 1. You'll thank me. And since we're on the topic, I just have to take this moment to profess my love for Cam!!) Ok, back to Chef Seth and the "air bunnies," which are air-quotes that he uses when referring to meats, cheeses, and other non-vegan ingredients that he uses vegan-versions of. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w2ev9P113zY/TYKvy5_MZEI/AAAAAAAAANA/7NKA9NcnbEI/s1600/013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w2ev9P113zY/TYKvy5_MZEI/AAAAAAAAANA/7NKA9NcnbEI/s400/013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>He started to tell us about the dessert specials. "Tonight we have for you 'Nutella' Chee--." Stop right there, mister! You had me at Nutella, even with the air-bunnies! I'll take it. I don't care what it is. I am kind of obsessed with Nutella. Of course this isn't real Nutella, so he veganized it and made it into to Nutella Cheezecake!! Hold the phones, people. This is serious. Yes, you read that right; Nutella Cheezecake. After patiently waiting (it was quite busy) we received our dessert. I'm glad that we were too full to eat more than a couple of bites because it was even better the next day after it spent all night in the fridge! YUMMMM! Wow. That's all I can say. Kudos to you, Seth. <br /><br />Well I hope everyone enjoyed their Saint Patrick's Day! I think my next blog will be a yogurt comparison. I'll be comparing yogurts made from soy, rice, almond, and coconut milks and they will be graded! Who will come out on top?? Stay tuned!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-9701319075407878432011-03-14T20:02:00.000-07:002011-03-15T06:34:42.177-07:00Well color me happy, there's a sofa in here for two!This blog has nothing to do with sofas. As I was sitting here thinking of a title, the great recipes I tried came to mind. Both were from my new book, Color Me Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HWZNru3gY9w/TX7EmJbP5SI/AAAAAAAAAKo/BIP5wOX5VnM/s1600/Pretty_Woman__4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HWZNru3gY9w/TX7EmJbP5SI/AAAAAAAAAKo/BIP5wOX5VnM/s200/Pretty_Woman__4.jpg" width="200" /></a>So next, my mind went naturally to <i>color me happy</i>... which obviously takes you right back to 1990. (And a little visual just for fun... sorry, had to.) A hooker (played by the fabulous Julia Roberts), who thinks her wig is a little Carol Channing-esque, walks into an elevator, plops down on the luxurious, upholstered bench (after all this <i>is</i> the Reg-Bev-Wil) and exclaims "well color me happy, there's a sofa in here for two!" This explanation could go on for a while. It's suddenly dawned on me that I have seen Pretty Woman WAY too many times and know every word in the movie. Sick. So back to the point of this blog entry so that you have enough time to <i>veg out</i>. Lay like broccoli. (okay, okay... I'll stop.)</div><br />I made a couple of recipes from Color Me Vegan last weekend and just wanted to share the love. Basically I made the Indian-style black bean and veggie burritos (page 238 from the Rainbow chapter). The author suggested making the pineapple-mango chutney (page 74) to serve with the burritos, so I did. Now, I will say, if you try to attempt both of these recipes in the same day you may end up wanting to kill me, especially after that whole Pretty Woman debacle in the first paragraph. Take my advice, do not try and do them both in one day... annnndd rent Pretty Woman, for old times sake. Here's what I did and it worked out perfectly. I made the chutney the day before I knew I was going to have the burritos. It takes some time but is WELL worth it! While I was making the chutney, I baked my sweet potato for the burrito recipe. You will see in a minute that in the burrito recipe that you are to put the diced sweet potato in raw and cook for 15 minutes. No thank you. I baked mine the day before, diced it up, and stored it in the fridge. That way when I went to make the burritos I saved myself 15 minutes! You're welcome. So here are the recipes and my results.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tmBhfsdV7Vs/TX7IG5jTifI/AAAAAAAAAKw/lfZ-OVyC_T8/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-tmBhfsdV7Vs/TX7IG5jTifI/AAAAAAAAAKw/lfZ-OVyC_T8/s400/006.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><i>Pineapple Mango Chutney</i><br /><u>Ingredients</u><br />2 tablespoons oil or water, for sauteing (I used the pineapple juice from the fresh pineapple that I cut up)<br />1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes<br />1 large yellow onion, minced<br />1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger<br />1 large yellow bell pepper, diced<br />2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced<br />1 small pineapple, peeled and diced<br />1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar<br />1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder<br />1/2 cup apple cider vinegar<br /><br /><u>Directions</u><br />Heat the oil (or whatever liquid you are using to saute; in my case it was the fresh pineapple juice) in a large pan over medium heat. Stir in the red pepper flakes until they begin to sizzle, about 1 minute, and then add the minced onion. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 7 minutes. Increase the heat to medium and stir in the ginger, bell pepper, mangoes, pineapple, brown sugar, curry powder, and vinegar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool the chutney and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator. I added a touch of black pepper to mine, as you can see in the photo. I like it a little extra peppery. After all, pepper is a good source of antioxidants (lol, seriously... who eats that much pepper??)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QYOyRQlaB7E/TX7LQBgOvHI/AAAAAAAAAK4/OiJZUFsKBlI/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QYOyRQlaB7E/TX7LQBgOvHI/AAAAAAAAAK4/OiJZUFsKBlI/s400/032.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><i>Indian-Style Black Bean &amp; Veggie Burritos</i><u><br />Ingredients</u><br />1 tablespoon oil or water, for sauteing<br />2 bell peppers cut into strips<br />1 large onion, sliced<br />4 cloves of garlic, chopped<br />1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger<br />1 sweet potato<br />1 teaspoon garam masala* <br />1/2 cup vegetable stock<br />1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed<br />salt and pepper, to taste<br />1 cup cooked brown basmati rice<br />1 head romaine lettuce, shredded<br />Pineapple Mango Chutney, or salsa<br />4 large burrito-size whole wheat tortillas<br /><br /><u>Directions</u><br />Heat oil in large saute pan. Saute bell peppers, onion, garlic, and ginger over medium heat for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until the peppers and onions are soft. Add the sweet potato and garam masala (*spice mix made up of peppercorns, cloves, bay leaves, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg, and anise) and mix well. Add the stock and cover. Cook over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes or until the potato is tender. <br /><br />** Now remember, if you planned ahead you can just add the diced up sweet potato that you baked the day before and just heat them through. No need to cover the pan either. And I used the same amount of stock, plus a little more actually because it reduced very fast. Also, I didn't have garam masala so I just used 1/8 teaspoons of cumin, nutmeg, pepper, ground cloves, and added coriander just for the heck of it, plus 1 bay leaf. ** <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-zj5bAgQrI/TX7OgC5VA6I/AAAAAAAAALA/y9qdaXt3EAs/s1600/024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o-zj5bAgQrI/TX7OgC5VA6I/AAAAAAAAALA/y9qdaXt3EAs/s400/024.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>At the very end of the cooking time, add the beans and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes longer and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the vegetable and bean mixture, rice, lettuce, and chutney evenly down the center of the tortilla and then roll it up. (warm the tortillas up to make them more pliable)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RVjvdyuEsoY/TX7SZmXnsmI/AAAAAAAAALI/bA7hnGmbXYs/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RVjvdyuEsoY/TX7SZmXnsmI/AAAAAAAAALI/bA7hnGmbXYs/s400/010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>I'm telling you what... talk about a party for your mouth! YUM!! I will be making these a lot! So simple and SO tasty! These do not disappoint. Another thing that does not disappoint is Darbster. Yes, I went AGAIN! You really just cannot keep me out of that place. They always have the most interesting specials. Sunday night they featured a BLT sandwich made with tempeh. I guess that would technically make it a TLT, just sayin. This was my first time trying tempeh (imitation meat, in this case bacon). Tempeh is made from soy beans but does not have that soy-beany flavor that plain tofu does. The texture is meaty. I think when it comes to tempeh, like tofu, it's all about how you flavor it and prepare it. Well I don't know how Chef Seth did it, but it was so delicious. They added some sliced avocado to the sandwich, always a welcomed ingredient in my opinion. AND, we got 20%&nbsp; off since we brought a dog! Yay!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wOhVRJnGdCg/TX7TngKphEI/AAAAAAAAALQ/93zCAbBZUXg/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="299" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wOhVRJnGdCg/TX7TngKphEI/AAAAAAAAALQ/93zCAbBZUXg/s400/003.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Talk about a perfect weekend! I got to spend time on the beach with a good friend. Came home and got a head start on the burritos to make for the following day, and then headed to Darbster's for the prefect ending to a perfect weekend! This is truly the life! Until next time... <br /><br />Oh, and before I go, I just want to give major kudos to my new iPhone 4. This thing takes awesome pictures!! I am very impressed... and obsessed!<br /><br />The recipes from this blog were written by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-39176026468143785602011-03-09T19:40:00.000-08:002011-03-17T16:44:48.405-07:00Spring fashion report : coral lipstick, greige, & going vegan!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4YtbVIaM6vk/TXg4zewpJuI/AAAAAAAAAKA/TyXzWBqegOk/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4YtbVIaM6vk/TXg4zewpJuI/AAAAAAAAAKA/TyXzWBqegOk/s400/031.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>I usually don't post two days in a row but I just couldn't help it. I received the April issue of Glamour magazine in the mail yesterday. I decided to flip through it while I was killing time waiting for Modern Family to start. (Side note- HILARIOUS show! I am in love with Cam; borderline obsessed, hence the "I love Cam!" check box at the bottom of each of my blogs. Tonight's episode was a re-run but it was the one where Gloria learns to ride a bike and Cam confronts a homeless man living in his daughter's princess castle; a classic!) Right after I read that hot-coral nail polish and lipstick paired with greige (grayish beige) clothing is in this spring, I flipped the page and was very pleasantly surprised. No, we are still not over this ridiculous high-waist jeans and pants phase. Sorry to break the news. BUT, Glamour did run an article about the vegan diet! YAY! I would have liked the article to be a bit longer and less about how to lose a quick 20 pounds, but it's a start! Millie enjoyed it. :) There are some vegan celebrities out there, so who knows... it might catch on! Even if it becomes a fad-diet, I'll take it! A few famous vegans that were mentioned are Natalie Portman, Ellen DeGeneres, Tobey Maguire, Gennifer Goodwin, Alanis Morissette, and Jason Mraz.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Q1ivpbyRXY/TXhEnw5fTaI/AAAAAAAAAKY/XQ5Yupw46jA/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4Q1ivpbyRXY/TXhEnw5fTaI/AAAAAAAAAKY/XQ5Yupw46jA/s400/016.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>I also went to Darbster's for dinner tonight. I seriously can't get enough of that place. I took Corey with me this time. He had their fried chik'n sandwich. The 'thrown'up peace sign in the picture denotes his approval. Haha! I didn't taste it, but it looked great. He said it was good even though he couldn't taste much of the "chicken" since he smothered it with their amazing buffalo sauce that we got with our Trees wings appetizer. It was topped with a fried onion ring and garlic aioli. I wanted to try something new. I got the enchiladas. They were VERY good. You wouldn't know they were vegan. The portion was too much for me so Corey finished mine and he liked them so much he said that is what he is going to order from now on when we go back. We were both a fan of the sour cream. Not sure what brand it was, or how it was made. The enchiladas were served with black beans and brown rice, along with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream. Everything was very flavorful and spicy! YUM! Aside from their great food, the atmosphere is also what keeps me coming back. They have relaxing, live entertainment. It's easy to sit and stay for a while. Oh, and Arlow (not sure if I'm spelling thar right), the German Shepherd, is usually there scoping things out. I love that dogs are welcome! One of these days I will attempt to bring one of mine in... I seriously doubt they could handle BOTH of my yappers. :)<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="177" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w6_amis6Wx0/TXhH2wOwb5I/AAAAAAAAAKg/kbSjHlJe2-4/s400/Untitled.jpg" width="400" /></div>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-4686447383499121952011-03-08T18:02:00.000-08:002011-03-08T18:02:35.403-08:00Show and tell<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, I’ve reached the one-month mark of living vegan and I think I have the hang of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I’m really surprised in how great I feel and how easy it is to go vegan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I haven’t felt deprived at all and I think it is fun try to new recipes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Eating something that I know is good for me and something that I know did not contribute to the harming animals or the environment is very satisfying and exciting!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I’m always so anxious to share new recipes or restaurant finds with others so that they can experience what being vegan tastes like.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>And that is just what I did this weekend.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BpyNRy7vO78/TXbTcmrZ2qI/AAAAAAAAAIw/WIJPFnNLZzE/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BpyNRy7vO78/TXbTcmrZ2qI/AAAAAAAAAIw/WIJPFnNLZzE/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I just want to say before I get into the food and the pictures, sorry for the poor photo quality. I think there was salt water residue on the lense from the beach. :( Anyway.... after a nice run in Bryant Park and a little R&amp;R at the beach (even though it was super windy and overcast – not exactly what Kait Parker forecasted, but whatever) with my best-training-buddy, Tracy, we headed to my favorite place to eat out, Darbster’s!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Once again they exceeded my expectations and everything was wonderful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Tracy had the avocado gazpacho (the same one I had last weekend).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>Then we split an order of buffalo “wings.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>We were both blown away at how good these were.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>They were shaped like chicken nuggets and served with a ranch-style sauce and an AWESOME spicy buffalo sauce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I wanted to get a to-go container just for that sauce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It was SO good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mYqFiotJJz0/TXbUXw5wUeI/AAAAAAAAAJA/B3v0NCjxZjM/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mYqFiotJJz0/TXbUXw5wUeI/AAAAAAAAAJA/B3v0NCjxZjM/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />We also shared a grilled-cheeze sandwich, made of vegan cheese of course.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>It was just like the real thing!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">&nbsp; </span>I just love taking friends there, especially the more skeptical ones, so that they can see for themselves how good you can eat.</div>Darbster's uses Daiya brand cheese, which is the brand that Kathy Freston recommended. I haven't purchased any vegan cheeses yet, but I think when I do I will choose the Daiya brand. It was perfectly melty and sharp. Loved it! <a href="http://www.daiyafoods.com/products/index.asp"></a><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AWU0ggp3bw8/TXbeEExqpEI/AAAAAAAAAJo/RPlPqVlahtk/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AWU0ggp3bw8/TXbeEExqpEI/AAAAAAAAAJo/RPlPqVlahtk/s320/032.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Shifting to the vegan diet has been fun and it's even more fun when others join in! I love sharing new recipes and talking about new found products at work. This week, Claudia have me an awesome new cookbook called Color Me Vegan by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. (Thank you!!) The book is broken down by the different colors of foods. Within each color (chapter) she gives you starters and salads, soups and stews, sides, main dishes, and desserts. There were so many good looking recipes. It was hard to pick just one to start with. I chose one out of the rainbow chapter. I made the confetti macaroni salad. It couldn't be more simple. Just make some macaroni (which most typically does not contain egg) and add some finely chopped bell peppers, scallions, basil, and black olives. The dressing is just Vegenaise (vegan mayo) and some Dijon mustard. Let me just say, I was never a huge fan of regular mayo, but I do like the Vegenaise. Oddly enough it tastes a lot like the real thing, but better. It's a bit tangier and thicker. I thought it was perfect for this recipe. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A-QkKW2bigs/TXbeQYhbEWI/AAAAAAAAAJw/5rCj0hscm8Q/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-A-QkKW2bigs/TXbeQYhbEWI/AAAAAAAAAJw/5rCj0hscm8Q/s400/027.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>There are poppy seeds in it. I was going to leave those out because I really do not like poppy seeds at all. I never saw the point and they just get stuck in your teeth. Then, unless you work with or are around some honest people, you will walk around all day with black seeds all stuck in your teeth. Not so cute. But, I wanted to make the recipe as written because I thought <i>there must be a good reason for them to be in there.</i> Turns out, I kind of like poppy seeds! They added a but of a crunch and texture to the pasta salad. They also added a bit of a nutty flavor. But I still think all seeds in general need to be used sparingly. They're not the best thing for your digestive system.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-00QLq983eko/TXbea1skg9I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/IEL_n2BnagA/s1600/033%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-00QLq983eko/TXbea1skg9I/AAAAAAAAAJ4/IEL_n2BnagA/s200/033%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="150" /></a></div>For snacking I have really been enjoying hummus and making different varieties of it. Last week I made a batch of original hummus and then I added a big bunch of spinach to it. It was SO good. I like eating it with veggie chips, like Terra chips, or fresh veggies. Another great snack item I found (I actually ate it for dinner on Saturday night) is mango spring rolls with sweet chili sauce from Whole Foods. It was so fresh and crisp. It was just some leafy greens, rice noodles, mango, and cucumber wrapped up in a rice paper. Nice and light, yet full of great flavor! That's all for now! Have a great week everyone!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-85171339487060615302011-02-27T17:47:00.000-08:002011-02-27T17:47:10.522-08:00A berry good weekend!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IcvjuBOZqyo/TWrp_X495LI/AAAAAAAAAIA/M3Y50kbba0Q/s1600/045%2B%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IcvjuBOZqyo/TWrp_X495LI/AAAAAAAAAIA/M3Y50kbba0Q/s400/045%2B%25282%2529.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>It's 7:15 on a Sunday night and I have to say, I had a wonderful weekend. It started out with a little vitamin D intake at the beach which called for a little beach-reading. I started a new book, The Vegan Girl's Guide To Life, by Melisser Elliot. It's full of cruelty-free crafts, recipes, clothing, and beauty secrets for living a more compassionate lifestyle. It gives some advice and encouragement on how to gracefully embrace the vegan lifestyle while spreading the word to others even though, at times, it seems like a lost cause. It's common for new vegans to be very excited about making the change and talking to others about the numerous benefits. However, sometimes it may come across a bit preachy, which is not the intention. All you can do is tell people about it, suggest some reading material, and get involved in organizations that support the cause. Knowing what I know now, it just seems silly that someone wouldn't want to become "more vegan." Another thing I did learn was that honey is not vegan. Honey bees have complex nervous systems that allows them to feel pain. And furthermore, honey is bee puke. Not to sound gross, but it's the truth. Bees are controlled by a smoker that make them unnaturally engorge themselves with honey. The swallow nectar, throw it up, eats it again, and then repeats. I have found that agave nectar is a great honey substitute. <br /><br />On Saturday, I forwent my vegan ways to partake in a fondue fiesta hosted by my high-fiving friend, Traci. First of all, it was totally awesome of her to make the fiesta vegetarian. There was beer-cheese fondue and chocolate-peanut butter fondue. Everything was so delicious. It was the first time I had a good amount of cheese in over a month. There's no doubt that cheese is delicious, but after being meat and dairy free this long it didn't really sit well. And speaking of cheese, another thing you commonly hear when talking about going vegan is "well, I could never give up cheese." I was definitely one of those people. I LOVED cheese. But, thinking about where cheese comes from is enough for me to give it up. Was it hard? Sure, at first. But after a week, it was a little easier, and after two weeks, I really didn't miss it. The thing is, you really <i>can</i> give up cheese, you just don't <i>want</i> to give up cheese. Why do you think that is? Perhaps you are addicted to it. I'm not saying that in a joking way, either. Cheese contains casein which is a milk protein that has a highly addictive quality to it. In fact, cheese contains more casein that any other dairy product. If you want, conduct your own experiment. Give up cheese (and all dairy so you aren't consuming any casein) for two weeks. Give yourself just 14 days, and free yourself from the cheese-monster. I'm telling you, once it's out of your system, you won't crave it. Not to mention, there are plenty of vegan cheeses out there to try. I actually haven't experimented with any of those yet though because I honestly haven't wanted cheese. I did make an exception for myself though, for the fondue fiesta. Although food and friends is always a good time, I was looking forward to Sunday.<br /><br />I met with a friend, and her friend at Darbster's, this adorable, little vegan place on the water. I had a fanTASTIC lunch and met my new boyfriend, Dalton. He has a huge head and requires a slobber-rag but his sweetness and charm made it all okay. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LRvIOfe4zWI/TWr1GzObFSI/AAAAAAAAAII/ij1yAGz9nrQ/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LRvIOfe4zWI/TWr1GzObFSI/AAAAAAAAAII/ij1yAGz9nrQ/s400/015.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>He's a Great Dane who's heart is as big as his head. Everyone at Darbster's was so excited and in awe to watch him walk in. Everyone pulled out their camera phones, including the executive chef. Dalton was an instant celebrity. One of the things I LOVE about Darbster's is that it is very animal-friendly, but not only that, they are not-for-profit. All of their profits go to animal charities and help spread the word about veganism. It's truly a great company with a lot of heart, which is most definitely reflected in their amazing food! Today I had a cup of avocado-cucumber-lime gazpacho with a palmcake sandwich. It was one of the best meals I've ever had. And somehow it tastes even better knowing I am helping animals. I wish I would have taken a picture of it because not only do they do a great job making delicious food, but it's always presented in such a beautiful, artsy way. I just love it.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-phzMxdj79Uw/TWr4fYwkFOI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/cQ09mCRzL1I/s1600/berry%2Bstreudel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="284" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-phzMxdj79Uw/TWr4fYwkFOI/AAAAAAAAAIQ/cQ09mCRzL1I/s400/berry%2Bstreudel.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>When I got home I made Berry-Berry Strudel. I bought way too many strawberries for the fondue fiesta so I wanted to make something with them. I found a recipe in Skinny Bitch for Blueberry Strudel and thought, why not make that and add strawberries? I have to give myself a high-five for that one (so basically I clapped my hands together once, which is a bit awkward) because the strawberries and the blueberries went great together. The recipe also has lemon extract and cinnamon in it, so it's full of great flavors. It came out perfectly moist. I couldn't find the recipe for this one online, so you'll just have to get the book (which I HIGHLY recommend!) After seeing the success with my ad-libbed strawberries, I felt like I wanted to keep the ball rolling. So I closed my books and opened my cabinets.<br /><br />For dinner (and leftovers for lunch) I decided to make some black beans and couscous with a little island-attitude. Last week while grocery shopping I came across this mango salsa couscous. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dbFhLJd-9Bs/TWr570k6BLI/AAAAAAAAAIY/RiOQbVZj2j0/s1600/51dgV%252Bv9tdL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dbFhLJd-9Bs/TWr570k6BLI/AAAAAAAAAIY/RiOQbVZj2j0/s200/51dgV%252Bv9tdL.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I just made that, according to the package directions, using olive oil in stead of butter. Then I had a can on black beans and some leftover veggies from last week's recipes. I started out by just adding some chopped garlic and jalapeno to a little bit of olive oil over low heat in a skillet. Then I added the black beans, drained and rinsed first. Sprinkled in a little southwest chipolte seasoning and sauteed for about 5 or 6 minutes. I then removed the beans from the pan and put them in a bowl off to the side. There was lots of great flavor bits leftover so I added a half of a chopped red bell-pepper and a half of a large carrot, shredded, to the pan. I let those soften up a bit and then added some ground coriander and a little cayenne pepper. After about 5 minutes over medium heat, I added the beans back to the pan and tossed it all together. Here's how it came out and the flavor combination was pretty great. It has that perfect ratio of hot and sweet flavors. This couscous is certainly one of my new faves. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Le4hSlYAhaI/TWr8OB1w1oI/AAAAAAAAAIo/IbdSyJst2bo/s1600/black%2Bbeans%2Bwith%2Bmango%2Bsalsa%2Bcouscous.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="314" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Le4hSlYAhaI/TWr8OB1w1oI/AAAAAAAAAIo/IbdSyJst2bo/s400/black%2Bbeans%2Bwith%2Bmango%2Bsalsa%2Bcouscous.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />So that's about all I have for now. I was really going to give you some powerful statistics that I truly think would make you think about going vegan or vegetarian, even if just for a day. However, I was so eager to get other people reading about this I quickly passed the book on to someone else so I want to make sure I get all the facts and figures right before I tell you about them.<br /><br />Have a great week everyone!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-66015726089187774462011-02-23T12:09:00.000-08:002011-02-23T12:09:31.018-08:00Barley and MeLast night's meal calls for a mid-week post! I made a barley and vegetable salad. It was another recipe from Whole Foods' free app. You will see that it calls for green lentils, however I totally forgot to buy them last time I was at the store. I happened to have some barely so I used that instead. I thought it came out great. It's full of bright, fresh vegetable flavors because all of the veggies are raw. Definitely shop at the produce stand for this one. Buying this stuff at Publix would probably cost a small fortune. I got all of my herbs and veggies for about $4. The chickpeas were on sale for $0.65 a can, and a half a box of quick-cooking barley is about $1.20. So for less than $6 total (about $0.98 per generous serving) you can have a delicious, vegan meal that would make many chickens, pigs, and cows very happy. Here's how mine came out. I served it with plantain chips (store bought) which I thought was a nice compliment because it added crunch and it was fun to scoop up some of the salad with them.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4L52uBT8yw/TWVlS0dVRTI/AAAAAAAAAHw/Q5scPPlMkq4/s1600/dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y4L52uBT8yw/TWVlS0dVRTI/AAAAAAAAAHw/Q5scPPlMkq4/s400/dinner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>And here is the recipe.<br /><u>Lentil and Vegetable Salad</u><br />Ingredients<br />1 cup green lentils, picked through and rinsed (or barley)<br />5 cups water <br />1 teaspoon kosher salt <br />1 bay leaf <br />1 yellow pepper, diced <br />3 tomatoes, seeded and diced <br />1/2 small red onion, diced <br />1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced <br />1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained <br />1 jalapeño pepper (optional), finely diced <br />1 small bunch mint, finely chopped <br />1/3 bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped <br />Sea salt and pepper to taste <br />2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil <br />Juice of 1 1/2 lemons <br />Mesclun salad leaves for serving (optional)<br />Method<br />Place the lentils, water, salt and bay leaf in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until lentils are tender but not mushy, 20 to 25 minutes. Strain lentils and transfer to a bowl of ice cold water to cool. Let cool completely, then drain and put in a large bowl. Add pepper, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, chickpeas and jalapeño to lentils. Gently stir to combine, taking care not to mash the lentils. Drizzle with oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Mix well, taste and adjust seasoning. Serve over salad greens if desired.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=575">http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=575</a><br /><br />I also made some hummus this week (also from the Whole Foods app) and spread it on one of those thin, round deli-flats. I roasted 1 large zucchini and 1 orange bell pepper and added those to the sandwich. Talk about another very inexpensive yet delicious meal! Wow. And here is the hummus recipe I used. Sorry, I don't have a picture, but I'm sure you get the idea. <br /><br /><u>Hummus Tea Sandwiches</u><br />Ingredients<br />1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed <br />3 tablespoons lemon juice <br />2 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste) <br />1 teaspoon soy sauce <br />1/2 teaspoon ground cumin <br />1/4 teaspoon ground coriander <br />2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped <br />2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley <br />12 slices thinly sliced sandwich bread<br />Method<br />Put chickpeas, lemon juice, tahini, soy sauce, cumin, coriander, garlic, and 1/4 cup water into a food processor and puree until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate. Before serving, let hummus come to room temperature, then stir in parsley. Divide hummus between 6 slices of bread and spread out evenly with a knife. Top with remaining slices of bread and press each sandwich down lightly. Using a large cookie cutter (any shape you'd like), cut out the sandwiches and transfer to a platter. Cut the remaining part of each sandwich into geometric shapes and transfer to the platter, if you like. Serve immediately, or cover platter with a slightly dampened paper towel and plastic wrap, then refrigerate until ready to serve.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1680">http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/1680</a><br /><br />So that is all for now. Next blog I think will be about how factory farms are to blame for these mega-viruses popping up, like the H1N1. Researchers and scientists say that it's only a matter of time before another catastrophic strain comes out. This is terrible on so many levels. More to come about that.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-18424929999761525912011-02-19T20:15:00.000-08:002011-02-19T20:17:30.033-08:00Please be mine, vegan Valentine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JJWfnJnr5uM/TWB9q3BqAgI/AAAAAAAAAHI/OWSbAuEui6E/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JJWfnJnr5uM/TWB9q3BqAgI/AAAAAAAAAHI/OWSbAuEui6E/s400/026.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>Well, this week was Valentine's day and it was extra sweet, even without the candies and heart-shaped box of chocolates. For starters, I just have to say that I love my Mom! She's been my Valentine for 28 years. Being my first Valentine's Day as a vegan, she gave me a vegan chocolate chip cookie and a gift card to Whole Foods (and some sweet smelling soaps). I mean, how awesome is that? And let me tell you, I don't know how Whole Foods does it but that cookie was awesome! I even had to ask my mom if she was sure she bought the right cookie. She did... and now, a few weeks into <i>leaning</i> into this new way of life, being able to taste how good eating with compassion can be, I'm not surprised the cookie was that good!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XBC5VdXr1M8/TWCNfL_jQsI/AAAAAAAAAHg/EZpRQUAPs40/s1600/041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XBC5VdXr1M8/TWCNfL_jQsI/AAAAAAAAAHg/EZpRQUAPs40/s320/041.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Inspired by this beyond-good baked treat, I decided to bake something myself. Think vegans can't eat cupcakes? Think again, my friend. Come to find out, not only can vegans eat cupcakes, but they can eat truly delectable cupcakes. The recipe was simple and sweet. I found it in Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook: Crazy Delicious Recipes that Are Good to the Earth and Great for Your Bod by Kim Barnouin. This is an AWESOME book by the way. If you are thinking of going vegan but are overwhelmed at all by what you need in your house and want easy recipes, get this one! She spells it all out for you and let me just tell you, her cupcake recipe is a good one! Here it is.&nbsp; If you want the frosting recipe, buy the book!&nbsp; And remember, the frosting is actually much thicker after refrigerating, which is not reflected in this picture. (This is a scrolling link by the way, so feel free to scroll up and down for a bigger preview of this book.)<br /><iframe frameborder="0" height="500" scrolling="no" src="http://books.google.com/books?id=BMdjgQUXPu8C&amp;lpg=PA253&amp;ots=ReBFcwCy2Z&amp;dq=Kim%20Barnouin%20strawberry%20cupcakes&amp;pg=PA253&amp;output=embed" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; border-right: 0px; border-top: 0px;" width="500"></iframe><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C_py5h_muqE/TWCDe2m73wI/AAAAAAAAAHY/WXO5nwpH0W8/s1600/044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C_py5h_muqE/TWCDe2m73wI/AAAAAAAAAHY/WXO5nwpH0W8/s320/044.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>And here is how mine came out. The icing looks a bit runny here. It is. I found out that you need to refrigerate the icing for a couple hours before piling it on. But everything came out good. They were moist and perfectly sweet. Slightly pink from the fresh strawberries that are in the batter! The silken tofu is a bit strange, not too appetizing to look at. I definitely had my doubts when making these but they really surpassed my expectations. Oh, and let me save you some time in the sweetener aisle of Whole Foods. Evaporated cane sugar is crystallized cane sugar. I was looking for a liquid and spent many, many minutes pouring over all the different sweeteners. So once I decided to just take a chance a buy the crystallized cane sugar in a bag, I had the option of regular cane sugar, organic cane sugar, or vegan cane sugar. The packaging offered no explanation. Not knowing what to do I just went for the vegan bag... made sense to me, even though I have no idea what makes sugar vegan. Well, now I know. According to Whole Foods, vegan cane sugar is made without the process of bone char making it 100% suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Ok, creepy! I'm sure your next question is, <em>what is bone char?</em> Bone char, made from the bones of cows, is at times used to whiten sugar. Some sugar companies use it in filters to decolorize their sugar. Other types of filters involve granular carbon or an ion exchange system rather than bone char. Supermarket brands of sugar buy their sugar from several different refineries, so there is no way of knowing whether it is vegan at any given time.<br /><br />I have also been reading Veganist by Kathy Freston.&nbsp; I'm only four chapters in right now but I can definitely tell you, this is a must-read!&nbsp; She gives you plenty of great reasons to go vegan as well as stories from others about why and how they changed their lives.&nbsp; One of the points she makes very early on is so simple, so logical, yet so powerful.&nbsp; The human body is not designed to consume animal products.&nbsp; For starters, our teeth are short and dull, not long an sharp like carnivorous animals in the wild.&nbsp; Our mouths were not made for chewing flesh.&nbsp; We also don't have claws to tear through meat.&nbsp; Our fingers are more appropriately suited for picking berries and things of that nature.&nbsp; Our digestive systems don't even have the enzymes to digest raw meats and our intestinal tract is long and winding.&nbsp; Meat-eating animals have a very short and straight colon designed to move meat in and out of the body quickly.&nbsp; And this is only stating the obvious.&nbsp; There are so many more reasons to lean into veganism.&nbsp; Kathy uses the term <em>lean</em> to suggest that you don't have to go-vegan or go-home, but to just slowly change small things.&nbsp; Maybe start with giving up meat and then slowly phase out the dairy.&nbsp; It's not about being miserable and trying to change 100% right off the bat.&nbsp;&nbsp;It's about educating yourself on how to best take care of your body to get the most out of life, while dignifying the lives of animals.&nbsp; Anyway, the point is, it's a great book.&nbsp; The health benefits alone are enough to at least <em>consider</em> changing.<br /><br />Until next time... here's a little something to make you laugh.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--M71Ge5go7w/TWCUqHRLfJI/AAAAAAAAAHo/2jY54r2QsX0/s1600/Vegan_comic%255B1%255D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="321" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--M71Ge5go7w/TWCUqHRLfJI/AAAAAAAAAHo/2jY54r2QsX0/s400/Vegan_comic%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a></div>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-12002180076497744502011-02-13T18:42:00.000-08:002011-02-14T08:15:37.631-08:00Steak, ice cream, and brownies - oh my!I have to say, I am really enjoying this vegan thing.&nbsp; I think I have passed the point of going through meat and dairy withdrawals.&nbsp; I'm not saying I will <em>never </em>cheat again, but as I sit here right now I truly have no desire to.&nbsp; Of course this might have something to do with the truly amazing dinner I just made myself.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iFBtmwP9siA/TViF7uT1MMI/AAAAAAAAAF4/xWESiiXnbh8/s1600/jenny%2Bsteak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="286" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iFBtmwP9siA/TViF7uT1MMI/AAAAAAAAAF4/xWESiiXnbh8/s400/jenny%2Bsteak.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />First of all, it was super simple because all the work was done for me already.&nbsp; All I had to do was heat it up and put it all together.&nbsp; The apron was totally unnecessary, but any excuse to wear it!&nbsp; I love my owl apron. :) Let me tell you, if you are craving beef and broccoli from the Chinese place, you should try this.&nbsp; The flavor and texture was great.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MBgNNjoQlus/TViG2E1cUFI/AAAAAAAAAGA/kIOTE8YTNvY/s1600/CIMG6046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MBgNNjoQlus/TViG2E1cUFI/AAAAAAAAAGA/kIOTE8YTNvY/s400/CIMG6046.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>I used vegan black pepper steaks, a soy-based imitation meat.&nbsp; I thought for sure the texture would be creepy and it wouldn't taste like meat but I was so wrong.&nbsp; I really don't know how they made this texture so real looking.&nbsp; It shreds just like the real thing.&nbsp; It's perfectly chewy and the sauce that it comes in is very tasty. I picked it up at Whole Foods in the freezer section. I think it was $6. So I heated it up according to package directions, 8 minutes in a sauté pan on the stove. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wqrM1MZq7M0/TViHb8aC7aI/AAAAAAAAAGI/R5uNUZAsDGc/s1600/CIMG6053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wqrM1MZq7M0/TViHb8aC7aI/AAAAAAAAAGI/R5uNUZAsDGc/s200/CIMG6053.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>Then I just served it over some quinoa and brown rice with a side of steamed broccoli. I am totally patting myself on the back. For me, this gets an A+ because it took all of 10 minutes to make AND it was delish. These can also be heated up in the microwave for 2 1/2 minutes or baked in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Definitely worth a try if you are craving a beefy meal; which I was not craving by the way. It was more or less an experiment to try this fake meat. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QRMdzsjAWMo/TViKiBmc_OI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/0VDGHQpJKcQ/s1600/064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QRMdzsjAWMo/TViKiBmc_OI/AAAAAAAAAGQ/0VDGHQpJKcQ/s320/064.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Now for dessert... those who know me know that I am a major ice cream junkie, hence my unduly ample shape (just a fancy, more polite way of saying fat). So anyway, I thought it would be so hard to give up real, dairy-based ice cream. Not so.&nbsp; I discovered the most satisfying and yummy ice cream. OMG! Ok, Blue Bell, you are so NOT missed. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that this non-dairy, soy-free ice cream is BETTER than the real deal. It's just as the brand name suggests, purely decadent. I tried the chocolate flavor. It tastes like an Almond Joy candy bar, but better! No lie! This is coming from an ice cream connoisseur (seriously, I used to blog about ice cream). Now, I'd be perfectly happy with this ice cream substitute from here on out because I love chocolate. I think there are only a few flavors to choose from currently, so I'm hoping there will be more to choose from in the future.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ipaNQxfSd8/TViN_rZ41GI/AAAAAAAAAGY/ep5d-Veskww/s1600/046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ipaNQxfSd8/TViN_rZ41GI/AAAAAAAAAGY/ep5d-Veskww/s320/046.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Now, while we're on the subject of desserts... a friend of mine sent me a tip for making easy "vegan" brownies. I am putting quotes around the word vegan because, technically, they aren't 100% vegan. What you do is take a store bought box of brownie mix and just add a can of pureed pumpkin instead of adding the eggs and oil. The mix itself does have some milk product in it. I headed to Publix to pick out my brownie mix. As I was looking at the voluminous selection of mixes I decided right then and there, since I was having such a hard time deciding, that I would conduct a taste test (really, it was just an excuse to make two batches of brownies). So, I first went for the Ghirardelli dark chocolate brownie mix. I thought, if I am going to be making these things with pumpkin so they're "healthier" then I want the best mix I can find. I perused the nutrition facts.&nbsp; The mix by itself is 140 calories, 3.5 grams of fat, and 18 grams of sugar.<br /><br />After taking the time read that I asked myself, self- what was the point in reading that if supposedly you're main concern isn't calories and sugar content? So now I've been in the brownie aisle for about 5 minutes thinking. I thought, well how good are these <i>really</i> going to be?? So if the point is to be healthy we might as well compare them to a "diet version." I went for the Pillsbury sugar-free brownies. With only 90 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, I thought it would make for an interesting match.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nox6yDVVO_s/TViSAEJY6GI/AAAAAAAAAGg/tUnxTOQxmAM/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nox6yDVVO_s/TViSAEJY6GI/AAAAAAAAAGg/tUnxTOQxmAM/s320/035.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I knew I already had a can of Libby's pumpkin at home (I stocked up during the pumpkin shortage over the holidays... I was paranoid that I wouldn't be able to make a pumpkin pie in an emergency situation). Now, just FYI, Libby's nutrition facts are slightly healthier than Publix's store&nbsp;brand, (Libby's has 40 calories per 1/2 cup and Publix has 50 calories; not to mention somehow you get 2 extra grams of fiber with Libby's) so I put the "healthier" pumpkin with the sugar-free mix to make them the ultimate healthy brownie. The verdict is in... I'm going to be honest as I promised in my very first entry. I wasn't in love with either one of them. They were both good, but neither one was AMAZING! <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yC7DCwsGmF0/TViTgDermwI/AAAAAAAAAGo/hH-sBFkOBZs/s1600/037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yC7DCwsGmF0/TViTgDermwI/AAAAAAAAAGo/hH-sBFkOBZs/s320/037.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>First of all, the texture is very moist and dense. You can really taste the pumpkin in both of these brownies. Obviously there was a&nbsp;richer chocolate flavor in the Ghirardelli mix. However, they were very similar overall as far as the overall experience. So if I make these again, I would actually go with the sugar free ones and save on the calories. They are better, I think, after they have been refrigerated. It's more like eating a moist chocolate cake than a brownie. It definitely cures a chocolate craving no doubt! Maybe I can find a real vegan mix at Whole Foods. I'll let you know what I can come up with.<br /><br />That is all for today. I'm just starting to read the book Veganist by Kathy Freston. Halfway into the first chapter and I'm already learning a lot and looking at things from a different angle. More to come on that this week.Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-87064822951361706392011-02-12T07:41:00.000-08:002011-02-12T08:03:39.975-08:00Bean there, done that.So this week I tried a new pasta recipe. This was another one that I found on my free Whole Foods app. I made it exactly as the recipe said. It was okay, lacking a bit in the flavor department. <br /><br />The dish is called Linguine with Spinach, Artichokes, and Red Lentil Sauce. When you cook the lentils they become very soft and become creamy, giving the illusion of a cream sauce without the dairy. I love this concept. First, I have to say that I didn't have enough lentils for the recipe. Why, you ask? Well Whole Foods doesn't sell pre-packaged bags of dried red lentils so I had to buy it from the bulk aisle. This is the aisle that is sort or candy-storeish. You fill your own bags with whatever amount of any item you would like. So this recipe only called for 3/4 cup of red lentils, I eyeballed it. Not a great idea. I way under eyeballed it -- (side note/story... I had an eye exam yesterday and I have spots on my retinas so now I have to see a retina specialist. I'm not saying this is why I way under eyeballed the lentils, I'm just saying this is pretty coincidental. haha). The point is, I only bought about a 1/2 cup of the lentils which resulted in less creamy, saucy goodness. Looking back, I only paid $0.52 for my underestimated beans... it wouldn't have made a hill-of-beans difference (no pun intended) if I just got a little over zealous in the bulk aisle, given my entire grocery bill for 2 recipes and a couple random snack items was like $65!<br /><br />Back to the recipe. Here it is. I prepped everything before I started cooking. It makes the process much easier and also makes clean-up a lot easier. Next time I would use less garlic and more lentils (like you're supposed to) and I would maybe add some additional herbs and spices. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--MPERmHOESs/TVao3juZwrI/AAAAAAAAAFg/-x-kUVNFQJA/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--MPERmHOESs/TVao3juZwrI/AAAAAAAAAFg/-x-kUVNFQJA/s320/034.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />Ingredients<br />2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds <br />1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth <br />1 cup finely chopped yellow onion <br />3/4 cup dried red lentils <br />3 cloves garlic, finely chopped <br />6 tablespoons lemon juice <br />1/2 pound whole wheat linguine <br />1 bunch spinach, stemmed and roughly chopped <br />4 artichoke hearts, rinsed, drained and quartered<br />Directions<br />In a medium pot, heat mustard seeds over medium heat until they begin to pop, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully add broth, 1 cup water, onion, lentils and garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until lentils are very tender and falling apart, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, add lemon juice and stir until lentils break apart to make a sauce. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add linguine and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes; drain and return to pot. Immediately add spinach, artichoke hearts and lentil sauce to hot pasta, toss well and serve. <br /><br />http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=2882<br /><br />And here is how mine looked.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BOu7R2rCLvk/TVapAcRSrVI/AAAAAAAAAFo/63naG0aMkFA/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BOu7R2rCLvk/TVapAcRSrVI/AAAAAAAAAFo/63naG0aMkFA/s400/033.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I think you can definitely tweak this one to your liking.&nbsp; But I do love the spinach and artichoke combo.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I received a few of the books from Amazon yesterday so I will get to reading those starting this weekend so I will be learning a lot more, hopefully, about the vegan lifestyle.&nbsp; I have found that I do great at home, but it's difficult at other people's houses.&nbsp; For example there was a gathering at my mom's house this week with tons of good looking food, but my choices were kind of limited to raw vegetables and ice.&nbsp; LOL.&nbsp; Yes, I ate ice.&nbsp; People were asking me how the whole vegan-thing was going and I said, well I'm eating a cup of ice if that gives you any sort of indication.&nbsp; Until next time... </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Knowing I did my part in not contributing to these guys' death makes me feel good and glad to be a new vegan!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">﻿</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H1VLwK1Kjjw/TVatVXkiFyI/AAAAAAAAAFw/Di_Mp6d5Odc/s1600/32008-grandpas-new-cows-010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-H1VLwK1Kjjw/TVatVXkiFyI/AAAAAAAAAFw/Di_Mp6d5Odc/s400/32008-grandpas-new-cows-010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-67553246888098065242011-02-07T08:11:00.000-08:002011-02-07T12:13:13.999-08:00Veganish weekendThis past weekend was my first weekend experimenting with the vegan diet. I would say from Friday night to this morning I have been vegan 80% of the time, and vegetarian 100% of the time. It's hard to avoid eggs I have found. But, I survived the weekend and actually enjoyed what I ate. Being a snacker, one of my first things to try was a replacement for chips. Now I know potato chips are allowed but I was looking for an un-fried alternative... and let's face it, Lay's isn't fooling anyone with those baked chips. Please... <br /><br />I tried kale chips and I was pleasantly surprised! I had my doubts with this since I associate kale with garnish on plates that no one ever eats. However, these kale chips are actually very crispy (when eaten fresh- do not attempt to store these for snacking later, they lose their crunch) and had great flavor. Another good thing about them is you can buy a huge bunch of kale at the produce stand for like a buck, AND it really couldn't be easier. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m9s1Btbce-s/TVAQ7z3ejvI/AAAAAAAAAEU/GvRmlLHyfMc/s1600/kale01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m9s1Btbce-s/TVAQ7z3ejvI/AAAAAAAAAEU/GvRmlLHyfMc/s200/kale01.JPG" /></a></div>You just rip it up (make sure it's bone-dry), LIGHTLY coat with olive oil (I poured about a tablespoon in my hand and then rubbed my hands together then just scrunched the leaves up with my hands), and bake. I sprinkled with salt AFTER they were done so that the salt wouldn't make the kale release any liquid and get soggy. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m9s1Btbce-s/TVARHvx89_I/AAAAAAAAAEc/ySYuTlnpPns/s1600/kale1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="150" width="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_m9s1Btbce-s/TVARHvx89_I/AAAAAAAAAEc/ySYuTlnpPns/s200/kale1.JPG" /></a></div>Here is the recipe: <br />1 bunch kale<br />1 tablespoon olive oil<br />1 teaspoon seasoned salt<br />Directions<br />1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a non insulated cookie sheet with parchment paper. <br />2. With a knife or kitchen shears carefully remove the leaves from the thick stems and tear into bite size pieces. Wash and thoroughly dry kale with a salad spinner. Drizzle kale with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoning salt. <br />3. Bake until the edges brown but are not burnt, 10 to 15 minutes.<br /><br />http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/baked-kale-chips/Detail.aspx <br />So that was a success. I will definitely make these more often. <br /><br />I found a couple of recipes on my free Whole Foods iPhone app so I went to buy the ingredients. I have to say, Whole Foods is kind of overwhelming and confusing at first. Plus, I had to buy a few "staples" that were expensive, but I won't have to buy them again for a while (i.e. tahini, almond butter, tamari). Before I get into the next recipe, I just have to vent. I really don't think the layout of Whole Foods makes sense. They have soy sauce located on 3 different aisles!! What is with that?? THEN- my grocery store pet peeve.... one of the things I purchased, which was on my receipt did not make it into my bag and of course I didn't notice until I go to make the damn thing. $4 soba noodles!! Luckily I happened to have whole wheat thin spaghetti in my cabinet that I used for a subsitute, but that just really ticks me off. And it's not like I could have just run back over there, it's like 20 minutes away. Anyway, I am forgetting what the point of this blog is. <br /><br />So last night I made Sesame-Peanut Noodles. I have to say, I was really impressed. The sauce was perfect (although I did add a splash of saracha hot sauce because I like that extra heat)! Here is the recipe: <br />1 (8-ounce) package 100% whole grain soba noodles<br />2 cups snow peas, strings removed <br />2 tablespoons roasted smooth peanut butter or almond butter <br />2 tablespoons rice vinegar <br />1 tablespoon reduced sodium tamari <br />1 tablespoon sesame tahini <br />1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper <br />1 1/2 cups shredded carrots <br />1 small red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced <br />1 cup sliced green onions <br />3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds<br />Directions<br />Cook soba noodles according to package directions. Add snow peas with 1 minute cooking time remaining. Drain noodles and snow peas thoroughly. In a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter, vinegar, tamari, tahini and crushed red pepper. Add a splash of warm water if needed to thin the sauce so it will coat the vegetables and noodles. Add noodles, snow peas, carrots, bell pepper, green onions and sesame seeds. Toss to coat noodles and vegetables thoroughly with sauce. Serve room temperature or chilled.<br /><br />http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeId=2937<br /><br />And here is what my finished product looked like. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m9s1Btbce-s/TVAZpFdvC5I/AAAAAAAAAE0/5M8ZAYZV9EI/s1600/Untitled.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="308" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m9s1Btbce-s/TVAZpFdvC5I/AAAAAAAAAE0/5M8ZAYZV9EI/s320/Untitled.jpg" /></a></div><br />Oh, and I almost forgot. I had dinner at Darbster's on Saturday night. Awesome vegan place on Dixie (the old Tree's Wings). I had palm cakes, made from hearts of palm, with mashed potatoes, black beans and mango salsa. YUMM!! Love that place, and they are super dog-friendly and encourage people to bring their dogs, however, I really don't think they want to deal with this... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m9s1Btbce-s/TVBR-Ms3RUI/AAAAAAAAAE8/Gw7mSKPcA60/s1600/millie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="400" width="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_m9s1Btbce-s/TVBR-Ms3RUI/AAAAAAAAAE8/Gw7mSKPcA60/s400/millie.jpg" /></a></div><br />http://www.darbster.com/<br />Check them out!!Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8252502476286497497.post-69404722900001512232011-02-03T18:31:00.000-08:002011-02-04T08:41:18.737-08:00Saying no to foods with facesSo, I want to become a vegan. Why? Well my number one reason is because the thought of cows, and other animals, being murdered is way too sad. Aside from no longer wanting to take part in animal murders, I think there are some great health benefits that come along with a vegan diet. So I figured why not blog about attempting this transformation. I'm eager to learn a lot and I plan on sharing it with you.<br /><br />If you're going to eat meats or other animal products you at least owe it to the animal to look at his or her face before it's led into the death-maze. I will now think of the face my food once had. When I think about cutting into a juicy steak I will now see his former big, black eyes and soft, furry face. I will think about the unwanted, and not to mention unfashionable, earring he gets as a baby, labeling him with a number, not a name. I will think about him growing up and being fed for a sole purpose, to be shot in the head and eaten for dinner. <br /><br />Knowing that this change won't be easy I have purchased an arsenal of books from Amazon that should arrive sometime next week to get me started on my cruelty-free journey. As I read and experiment through these books I will share what I have learned. I will be trying some vegan recipes and giving you my two cents on how it really tastes and how much it cost. My hope is to make the switch and possibly encourage others to do so by showing you, if I can do it then so can you. <br /><br />The books I will be using are: <br /><em>Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World</em> by Kathy Freston <br /><br /><em>The Happy Herbivore Cookbook: Over 175 Delicious Fat-Free and Low-Fat Vegan Recipes</em> by Lindsay S. Nixon <br /><br /><em>The Vegan Girl's Guide to Life: Cruelty-Free Crafts, Recipes, Beauty Secrets and More</em> by Melisser Elliott <br /><br /><em>Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook: Crazy Delicious Recipes that Are Good to the Earth and Great for Your Bod</em> by Kim Barnouin <br /><br /><em>Vegan's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Inspiration for Cooking, Eating, and Living Compassionately</em> by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau <br /><br />I hope that you will check in to see how my vegan-intervention is going from time to time. I will be 100% honest with my findings and struggles. In the mean time take a look at this face and ask yourself if his death is truly something you're completely okay with. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m9s1Btbce-s/TUtdFwhDX8I/AAAAAAAAAEM/-ziz1B2bYas/s1600/cow1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_m9s1Btbce-s/TUtdFwhDX8I/AAAAAAAAAEM/-ziz1B2bYas/s320/cow1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569647717678014402" /></a> <br /><br />And also check out this story. I will think of Molly B and her courage everyday. (click on the line below) <br /><a href="http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/nation/cow-that-escaped-slaughterhouse-has-new-adventure-1230091.html">Cow that escaped slaughterhouse has new adventure</a>Jennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07349788636420562328noreply@blogger.com2